The research project is funded by the Confederation of Finnish Industries, Technology Industries of Finland, Local Government and County Employers KT, Keva, Academic Engineers and Architects in Finland TEK, Industrial Employees TP, Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment of Finland, Business Finland, and the cities of Helsinki, Espoo, Tampere and Oulu. The research will be carried out by the nonprofit research organization E2 Research. The research will be completed before the spring 2023 parliamentary elections.

The research project will answer the following questions: How can Finland become a country that invites, engages and attracts talent, and where it is easy for an expat Finn to return to or a foreigner to come to work? How could people from outside Finland also take part in building the country?

The consortium partners consider it important that the research will give a voice and space for ideas to people who could play a bigger part in building Finland's success. The research serves the needs of both the private and public sectors.

- A skilled workforce is an important resource for stimulating employment. At the Ministry, we are currently working hard on making migration processes run smoothly and the whole system to work well. It is great that with the help of this research we will have even more information to support the Talent Boost program on how to develop the big picture of immigration together, says Minister of Employment Tuula Haatainen.

- Resolving the talent shortage is a critical matter not only for technology companies but also for Finland as a country. Examining different talent groups and finding new, concrete solutions through research is of paramount importance, says Executive Director Minna Helle from Technology Industries of Finland.

- Finland needs international know-how. That is why it is important to interact with social actors and look for new ways of working so that our country's success is not halted by a talent shortage, says Ville Skinnari, Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade.

- Many companies suffer from an acute talent shortage. It is important that the project that is being launched produces extensive information on how Finland can not only attract talent but also hold onto it, emphasizes Mika Lintilä, Minister of Economic Affairs.

- Cities require a skilled workforce, and the success of companies is the prerequisite for the success of regions. That is why the city of Tampere is involved in this research project and will utilize the results in its decision-making, says Mayor Anna-Kaisa Ikonen.

- Our project will help in finding concrete ways of strengthening the presence of international talent in Finland. In addition to employees, we are also interested in companies: good employers are Finland's pull factor. It is inspiring that we have engaged a large national consortium and broad partner expertise to support the research. We will raise the issue with the public in a constructive and interesting manner, says Research Director Mari K. Niemi from E2 Research.

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The Project in a Nutshell

Project implementation period: 10/2021–3/2023. The project is carried out by E2 Research. E2 Research is a multidisciplinary non-profit research organization that provides research to municipalities, ministries, companies, organizations, foundations, policymakers and the media.

The project will be co-financed by the consortium partners. The project budget is approximately € 500,000. The project monitoring group is chaired by Pipa Turvanen, Senior Specialist at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment of Finland, and Mikko Räsänen, Senior Adviser at the Confederation of Finnish Industries, is the vice chair.

Project Director: Mari K. Niemi (Docent, Doctor of Social Sciences)
Deputy Director of the project: Ville Pitkänen (Docent, Doctor of Social Sciences)
Project homepage: kvosaajiensuomi.com
Project on social media: @kvosaajiensuomi (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook)

Additional information

Mari K. Niemi
Research Director, E2 Research
+44 7737 161 944
mari.k.niemi@e2.fi

Karina Jutila
Director, E2 Research
050 5515 361
karina.jutila@e2.fi