How do Finnish employers see foreign job applicants?

Dr Sc (IB) Minna SöderqvistHelia Research and Development

Project• 33 employer interviews in 2004

– State, communal or private employer representatives– From all over Finland– Experience of foreign subordinates, either with a

degree from Finland or elsewhere– From different industries

• 635 questionnaires back 2004/2005– Experienced and inexperienced– State, communal or private employer representatives– From all over Finland– From different industries

Results

• Importance of internationalization of higher-education institutions

• What contributes and what hampers foreigners in finding a job in Finland?

• HRM processes and foreign applicants• Differences in a superior’s work if

there are foreign subordinates

Conclusions

• Proposals to state authorities• Proposals to work communities• Proposals to higher-education

institutions• Proposals to foreign job applicants• Proposals for further research

International activities

• 1/5 – daily; 1/10 – every week; ¼ every month

• 10 % - no international contacts

• 8 % of turnover from abroad

Different foreigners in Finland

• Ca 320 000 working addresses – about 55 000 foreigners working all over Finland employers not personally experienced

• Different foreigners – different needs and capabilities!– Refugees with difficult backgrounds– Marriage – based immigration– Highly-educated experts and their spouses

(dual career)

Foreigners working in Finland

• 44 % of employers have employed foreigners; • 70 % of respondents do not have any foreigners

at the moment – 70 % have NEVER received a job application from a foreigner!

• 1/6 have had a foreign trainee (work placement)• 53 % of community, 44% of state and only

39 % of private employers have had foreigners at work

Apply to SMEs all over Finland

Employed foreigners work:

– 20 % in production– 10 % in expert positions– Less than 10 % in customer service

functions– 5 % sales– 3 % administration– Less than 2 % management

Positive attitudes, but benefits not realised

+ Foreigners no threat to Finnish working life+ Multicultural work community taken as

more innovative+ Foreigners seen as a possibility? Thanks to foreigners our business has not

developed, they have not brought new customers or new partners annual accounts of foreign HRM recruiting of foreigners according to their education

No foreigners employed since

• No need – 24% of respondents• No applicants – 16 % (only 29 %

have received an application = 71 % have not)

• Too difficult – 1 % However: 30 % of employers

employ somebody yearly

To be a foreigner – and Finnish HRM

• HRM not strategic issue in SMEs foreign background not yet taken into consideration– When choosing recruiting channels– In interviews– In salaries– In induction processes– In engagement– In socialization to work community– In induction of superiors to recruiting Employers would need an active

recruiting policy

Attitude and Motivation –A foreigner should

• Be educated• Be professional• Have intercultural skills• Have own initiative• Be reliable• Be able to use Finnish as working

language

A Foreign Applicant Should

• Have a BIG network of Finnish persons!• Be able to handle the ”You are a bigger

risk in recruiting”• Be able to show your expertise and

professionalism in the interview • Find out about Finnish way to recruit and

to work Ask help from those Finns you know, from

studies, neighbours…

Use of recruiting channels –

all vs. experienced employersAuthoritie

s38 – 43

Journals 33 – 40Internet 23 – 32Networks 22 – 24Head hunters

10 – 11

HEIs 9 – 14

Superiors and work communities need instructions

and further education• How to take benefit from the

international dimension in the real work• How to meet diversity in real situations• What intercultural capabilities are and

how to use them• How to change the superior and HRM if

foreign subordinates

Foreigners bring benefits

• Be able to argument what you can do for this particular business, for this particular employer – SMEs 98 % of Finnish companies– To develop service companies and

service businesses – we don’t have them – behind in OECD statistics

– State, communal, private employers, different industries, different sizes, different areas