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Ethnic discrimination partly responsible: One third of immigrants in Finland jobless Helsinki (27.11.2002 - Juhani Artto) Less than two per cent of people living permanently in Finland in 2001 were foreign citizens. Compared to most other industrialised countries this figure is very low. However, Finland’s foreign population increased rapidly in the 1990s. In 1989 only 21,100 foreigners lived permanently in Finland. In the following twelve years this number increased more than fourfold, and is now about 100,000 in a country of 5.2 million people. Russians (23 per cent) form the largest immigrant group, followed by Estonians (12 per cent) and Swedes (8 per cent). (Foreigners in Finland by country of origin, in 2001) These growing immigrant flows transformed Finland into a net receiver of migrants. In the past the flow was very much in the opposite direction, with people tending to leave Finland. More than one million Finns and their descendants live abroad, mainly in Sweden, the USA, Canada and Australia. For decades the most important motive for this emigration from Finland was always the expectation of work and a better livelihood than Finland could offer. Until the early 1990s most Finnish employers had never been in a position to choose whether to employ a Finn or a foreigner, since there was virtually no labour of foreign origin. Finnish shop floor workers and salaried employees had equally little experience of foreigners at their places of work. The situation that emerged in the 1990s was also new to most of the Ministry of Labour staff who assist jobseekers. In a thesis* published in September 2002 researcher Annika Forsander analyses the situation of foreigners in the Finnish labour market. The most striking statistic in this field is the unemployment rate, which is roughly three times higher than the rate among Finns. Although the unemployment rate for foreigners decreased from 53 per cent in 1994 to 31 per cent in 2000, the corresponding rate for Finns fell more quickly over the same period. Most did not arrive for work In the course of her study Forsander sampled one third of the immigrants arriving in Finland over the period 1989-1993. Her sample thereby comprised 10,485 people. Citizens of Sweden were excluded from the sample. Table 1 gives an idea of the labour market situation of immigrants in the
year of arrival and in 1997, after remaining in Finland for periods of
between four and eight years.
Table 1. The low employment rate in the year of arrivals indicates that only a minority moved to Finland to take up jobs that had already been secured. The majority settled in Finland for family reasons, as refugees, as students or, as in the case of Ingrians, were classified as returnees from the territory of the former Soviet Union. It is only in the last few years that the number of immigrants coming to Finland specifically to work has begun to increase rapidly. The data analysed by Forsander indicate that in successive years an increasing number of immigrants arriving in 1989-1993 found jobs, started their own businesses or embarked on courses of study. However this tendency was weaker for the later years of arrival. Forsander explains this through differences in immigrant profiles for various years. In the earlier years of arrival there were more immigrants from industrialised Western countries. These immigrants have enjoyed a higher labour market status than immigrants from other regions. Table 2 on web-site of the Ministry of Labour - Unemployment rate among immigrants in 1994-2000 - documents the huge difference in employment between immigrants from various countries of origin, with French immigrants in the leading position and Iraqis at the tail end.
Forsander's data emphasise the importance of social networks. The crucial initial entry to the labour market has often depended on relatives, neighbours, friends or other social contacts, as opposed to educational certificates and work experience. Referring to Kathleen Valtonen’s study (Kathleen Valtonen: The Integration of Refugees in Finland on the 1990s, pdf-file, 83 pages), Forsander offers a tragicomic list of employer "strategies" for countering immigrant jobseekers:
The data gathered and analysed by Forsander suggest on the whole that ethnic discrimination is a significant factor that undermines immigrant employment prospects. "The strategies used by employers indicate a lack of confidence in immigrants," Forsander concludes. Trade union movement working on two fronts Ethnic discrimination is also a major challenge for a trade union movement, which finds itself working on two fronts, fighting ethnic discrimination and social dumping pertaining to the foreign labour force. The latter aspect includes a growing problem of illegal immigrant labour, although this remains a marginal phenomenon compared to the southern Member States of the European Union. The trade union movement has so far reacted cautiously to the challenges on these two fronts. While the first steps have been taken to integrate immigrant labour into the unions, a more visible effort has been made to secure a long transition period as part of the European Union eastern enlargement process. The highest profile action so far was taken by the Construction Worker Union recently, combining a short stoppage with on-site checks to expose the employment of illegal foreign labour. The backward attitudes of employers may soon cause problems for Finnish people as a whole. If the prognosis of a worsening labour shortage materialises, then the best solution would be to open up the labour market not only officially but also in practice. In five to ten years the most promising factor affecting the status of immigrants in the labour market may be the structural ageing of the Finnish labour force. At the same time employers are increasingly calling for greater flexibility in working conditions. Both Finnish and immigrant labour has suffered from a growing tendency for jobs to become more unstable and from increased pressure to adapt to atypical work. This is nothing new for immigrants. According to Forsander, only 5 per cent of the immigrants who arrived in 1989-1993, had managed to secure a stable career by 1997. About 60 per cent were engaged in an "unstable", and 28 per cent in a "marginal" career. The remaining 7 per cent had remained outside of the job market. In the Finnish social welfare system a weak position in the labour market also means an inferior status as a beneficiary of social programmes. Shorter careers and lower pay mean lower income-related social benefits for unemployment, sick leave, maternity and pension. Immigrants are over-represented among social welfare programme beneficiaries receiving only minimum benefits, Forsander notes. However, some immigrants from poor countries do not regard Finnish minimum benefits as too bad compared to the situation that they left in their countries of origin. ------ Articles on foreign labour in Finland:
Directory on immigration-related material:
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Guide for Foreigners Working in Finland by SAK, STTK and Akava Ten years of working conditions in the European Union, Eurofound's research summary (pdf-file) In terms of real property, one Finland equals two Nokias, Helsingin Sanomat 08.01.2001 The growth of the Finnish economy did not eradicate unemployment, Helsingin Sanomat 03.01.2001 Only one Finn in nine actually retire as late as 65, Helsingin Sanomat 02.01.2001 Incomes policy agreement approved; The incomes policy agreement in a nutshell;The economic backgrounf of the incomes policy agreement SAK 15.12.2000 Collective bargaining in Finland 1999-2000, Pekka Sauramo, Labour Institute for Economic Research, Helsinki (pdf-file) Working environment greater cause of absenteeism than lifestyle Helsingin Sanomat International Edition 05.12.2000 New job creation down 50 % this year Helsingin Sanomat International Edition 01.12.2000 Made in Hong Finland Helsingin Sanomat International Edition 28.11.2000 Bars and restaurants among Finland's most hazardous work places Helsingin Sanomat International Edition 27.11.2000 Finland faces labour shortage in all sectors in 2005 Helsingin Sanomat International Edition 23.11.2000 New two-year incomes agreement announced Helsingin Sanomat International Edition 17.11.2000 Increased disparities in wealth distribution Helsingin Sanomat International Edition 09.11.2000 Floating shopping centers might become a thing of the past Helsingin Sanomat International Edition 24.10.2000 SAK member unions vote to go with two-year wage deal Helsingin Sanomat International Edition 03.10.2000 National Economy and State Finances Ministry of Finance Occupational Safety and Health Ministry of Social Affairs and Health Dispute highlights threats to Finnish seafarers' jobs eironline Strikes break out as bargaining round nears conclusion eironline "Barometer" examines industrial relations in Baltic states eironline Strike levels fall in 1999 eironline Action programme launched to promote "ability to cope" at work eironline SAK computer campaign proves successful eironline European working time conference held in Helsinki eironline
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