Living and Working in Finland Information for an EU Jobseeker Finland October 2008

Living and Working in Finland Contents Introduction Labour market situation Searching for a job Training and studying Moving to Finland Living and working conditions Where to find further information

Introduction 5,3 million inhabitants parliamentary republic since 1917 neighbouring countries: Sweden, Norway, Russia, Estonia two official languages: Finnish (92%) and Swedish (5,5%) religions: Evangelical-Lutherans (81,8%), Orthodoxs (1,1%) member of the EU since 1995 foreign citizens 2,5% (mainly in Helsinki metropolitan area) currency: Euro  

Economic structure Employed persons by industry, 2nd quarter 2007 Industry (19%) consists of metal and engineering products (48%), forest products (16%), consumer goods (11%) & other manufactured items (25%) Source: Statistics Finland

Characteristics of the Finnish labour market 75% of employees work under a permanent full time contract Some 15% of employees work under a fixed-term contract, c. two thirds of these are women Women generally participate in the labour market, their employment rate being about 71%. Women are also mainly full-time employees. Part-time jobs are not common – only about 10% of all jobs are part-time Some 75% of workers belong to a trade union Labour shortages and unemployment commonly occur simultaneously in the Finnish labour market Source: Statistics Finland 2008/07

Characteristics of the Finnish labour market Employment and unemployment in July 2008 Number of employed persons 27,000 higher than one year earlier Employment rate 73,4% (OECD/ILO definition) Unemployment rate 5,2%, 144 000 unemployed (OECD/ILO definition) 60 100 new vacancies at employment offices (02/2008) Source: Labour Force Survey of Statistics Finland

Regional labour market situation (2007)

Labour shortages recruitment problems are increasing problems occur mostly in Helsinki metropolitan area and other larger cities most problematic fields: metal, construction, transport, health care, hotel and catering, services TOP 10 Shortages (May 2008) nurse - sales representative practical nurse - newspaper deliver cleaner - machinist (CNC, NC) articulated vehicle driver - berry picker - cook/chef - hairdresser/barber

International recruitment the EU enlargement in 2004 and the growing recruitment problems activated the international recruitment cooperation still only about 2% of the Finnish employers looked for the foreign workforce in 2006 foreign workers are mainly recruited from Estonia, Poland and Russia

International recruitment many of the Estonian workers in Finland are commuters (distance between Helsinki-Tallinn 80 km) the ageing of the work force affects already on the offer, but especially after 2010 labour force is needed most urgently in construction and care work, as well as in services and industrial work

Searching for a job National labour administration: www.mol.fi   National labour administration: www.mol.fi EURES Portal: http://eures.europa.eu Academic recruitment services: www.aarresaari.net Companies often recruit through their own internet sites. Typical address is: www.companyname.fi List of 100 largest Finnish companies: www.uranus.fi Vacancies in the largest newspapers www.oikotie.fi Private recruitment agencies e.g. www.manpower.fi, www.adecco.fi, www.barona.fi, www.staffpoint.fi Direct contact with employers!

Standard application procedures CV and application letter - possibly also copies of school leaving certificates and references examples of CVs: http://europass.europa.eu employers usually choose 3 to 5 applicants to be interviewed certificates and references will be studied closely for demanding posts usually 2 to 3 interviews will be conducted; possible also an aptitude test some employers make only the final selection - the rest of the recruitment process may be outsourced

Practical training and studying many practical training opportunities for international students and recent graduates in Finland Centre for International Mobility (CIMO) organizes many of the practical training programmes - see also student organisations like ELSA, IAAS, IFMSA, AIESEC Master Thesis/ Thesis co-operation available degree studying (Bachelor’s or Master’s degree) is free of charge More information: CIMO - Centre for International Mobility www.studyinfinland.fi

International student mobility Finland has 20 universities and 30 polytechnics over 400 study programmes are taught in English in Finnish higher education ERASMUS student mobility in academic year 2006-2007: appr. 6200 foreign students to Finland, mostly from Germany (1200), France (900), Spain (700), Poland (450) and Italy (400) Finland was one of the most popular destination countries for exchange students (8th among 31 countries) University of Helsinki received nearly 500 students alone

Recognition of qualifications Finnish National Board of Education (OPH) Contact before coming to Finland recognition required for posts in public sector not required for private sector, unless the profession in question is regulated (e.g. electricians, pilots) Right to practise profession needed for the following professions: health care professionals, veterinary surgeons, chartered public finance auditors, chartered accountants, advocates, seafarers Different authorities grant the right More information: www.oph.fi/info/recognition

Moving to Finland - First steps   EU registration at the local police: www.poliisi.fi Population register and home municipality at the magistrate/registration office: www.maistraatti.fi Social security at the local social insurance office: www.kela.fi If employed: Tax card at the local tax office www.vero.fi If unemployed: Employment office www.mol.fi

Transferring unemployment benefits / E 303 -form   Contact your employment office in your home country well before your departure to Finland and ask for the E 303 -form Register at the employment office in Finland within 7 days on your arrival and show the E 303 -form (the employment office signs the form) Hand out the form to the Kela office Open a bank account

Finnish unemployment benefits   Documents concerning work and education history E 301- form 1) The unemployment allowance (employment condition 10 months) Basic allowance (social insurance, Kela) Earnings-related (unemployment funds, e.g www.ytk.fi ) 2) The labour market subsidy Integration assistance to immigrants For a single person: 24,51 €/day (in 2008) www.kela.fi (basic allowance and labour market subsidy) www.tyj.fi (earnings-related)

Terms of Employment   Collective agreements specifying pay rates for various sectors If there is no collective agreement (e.g. domestic helpers), the salary should be at least 980,40 €/month (in 2008) Regular working hours are 8 hours per day and 40 hours per week, with two days' leave per calendar month worked More information: www.tyosuojelu.fi, www.mol.fi/finnwork Ask for the employment contract in written form!

Examples of gross incomes   Private sector (2006): IT Programmer 3 528 € / month Carpenter 2 063 € / month Hairdresser/Barber 1 728 € / month Truck driver 2 147 € / month Public sector (2007): Cleaner 1 725 € / month Class teacher 2 995 € /month Nurse 2 510 € / month Librarian 2 198 € / month An average Finnish salary 2 781 €/month (2008, 2nd quarter) Source: Statistics Finland

Taxation Income tax: Up to 6 months: tax at source 35%   Income tax: Up to 6 months: tax at source 35% NB! Tax deduction of 510 € each month or 17 € per day for each working day More than 6 months: progressive income tax For an average Finnish salary 2 781 €/month (33 372 €/year): the share of taxes and compulsory contributions is between 21 and 26.5 %* More information: www.vero.fi * local taxes vary from one city/municipality to the other; in addition, members of the Finnish Lutheran/ Orthodox church pay a church tax (1 – 2,25%)

Accommodation Where to look for?   Where to look for? Internet portals: www.oikotie.fi, www.etuovi.com Yellow pages: www.keltaisetsivut.fi Private companies: e.g. www.sato.fi, www.yh.fi Newspapers: www.sanomalehdet.fi Information about housing in Finland: www.housing.fi Municipalities in Finland: www.kunnat.net Youth hostels: www.srmnet.org

Accommodation How much will it cost? Examples :   How much will it cost? Examples : Average rent for a two room flat: 400 – 700 €/month Average price for a two room flat: 80 000 – 120 000 € In Helsinki metropolitan area the prices are considerably higher, in the countryside considerably lower

Further information: Welcome to Finland!   Information of living and working, vacancies: http://eures.europa.eu Detailed information for foreign workers: www.mol.fi/finnwork, www.infopankki.fi Studying and practical training: www.studyinfinland.fi General information: http://virtual.finland.fi Welcome to Finland!