Living and Working in Finland EURES FINLAND

Geography 5,4 million inhabitants Capital Helsinki (600 000) Other big cities: Espoo (265 000) Tampere (220 000), Vantaa (210 000), Turku (185 825) 40 % of the Finnish population lives in the 10 largest cities Neighbouring countries: Sweden, Norway, Russia, Estonia Foreign citizens 3,6% 19.9.2018 EURES Finland

Finland facts Length 1 157 km - Width 542 km2 18 inhabitants per km2 7th largest country in Europe 2 official languages: Finnish (90%) and Swedish (5,4%) Religions: Evangelical-Lutheran (77,3%), Finnish Orthodox (1,1%) Member of the EU since 1995 Currency: Euro President: Mr. Sauli Niinistö 19.9.2018 EURES Finland

Characteristics Four seasons Cold winters and warm summers: -40 °C to + 30 °C Sauna Sisu Sibelius Lapland Marimekko Functionality as standard Education – PISA Comprehensive social welfare system Healthy and safe working conditions 4 19.9.2018 19.9.2018 EURES Finland

Finnish labour market Employment rate 68 % men: 68 %, women 67.9 % Unemployment rate 8,7 % Source: Statistics Finland 2014, Annual Employment Service Statistic 2014 19.9.2018

Labour market situation Occupationatiol barometer 3/2015 SHORTAGE TOP 15 SURPLUS TOP 15 19.9.2018 EURES Finland

Language Finnish usually required, in some regions also Swedish With English it may be possible to manage e.g in seasonal gardening, berry picking, kitchen work ICT, engineering, international business, research Over 80% of Finns in ages 18-64 speak English Finnish language courses in the internet e.g. Venla - Finnish for Foreigners 19.9.2018

Working life Collective agreements specify pay rates for various sectors Regular working hours are 8 hours per day and 40 hours per week Holiday period is 25–35 working days per year Holiday pay is 50 % of the holiday period salary Written employment contracts 19.9.2018 EURES Finland

Examples of gross income Engineer 4 000 €/month Carpenter 2 000 €/month Secretary 2 100–2 600 €/month Bus driver 2 700 €/month Cleaner 1 500 – 2 000 €/month Shop assistant 1 600 – 2 100 €/month Medical nurse 2 800 €/month Social worker 3 000 €/month The average Finnish salary is 3300€/month (2014/2) Source: Statistics Finland 19.9.2018

Taxation Progressive income tax Example: the share of all taxes and compulsory contributions (incl. social security payments 7,1 %): Salary 2500 €/month → tax 26 %* Salary 3000 €/month → tax 29 %* Local taxes vary from one municipality to the other; members of the Finnish Lutheran/Finnish Orthodox church pay a church tax (1–2,25%) If you stay up to 6 months → tax at source 35% (Before collecting tax your employer may deduct 17 €/day) More information: www.vero.fi 19.9.2018

Starting a business in Finland Start a new business, commercialise your invention Continue an active business Set up a franchise Network marketing More information: Enterprise Finland 19.9.2018

Job seeking and job vacancies Most of the jobs are published at the TE Services (public employment service) website at www.te-palvelut.fi EURES www.eures.europa.eu Private recruitment agencies e.g. www.hpl.fi, www.manpower.fi, www.adecco.fi, www.staffpoint.fi Companies also recruit through their own websites Direct contact with employers 19.9.2018 EURES Finland

Application procedure CV and application letter, often also copies of certificates of graduation and references Usually by email or with a direct application through the company webpage Examples of CVs: http://europass.europa.eu Employers usually choose 3 to 5 applicants to be interviewed 19.9.2018

Moving to Finland - First steps Registration for EU/EEA citizens at the local police office www.poliisi.fi Registration for the Finnish social security Population register and home municipality at the magistrate/registration office www.maistraatti.fi Social security at the local social insurance office www.kela.fi Registration for the tax card at the local tax office www.vero.fi Registration for the unemployed at the Employment and Economic Development Office (TE Office) www.te- palvelut.fi 19.9.2018

Accommodation Housing expences are approximately 30–40 % of income In rented accommodation in addition to the rent you also pay for the costs for water and electricity Average rent for a two room flat (50 m²): 500–800 €/month Average price for a two room flat: 80 000–160 000 € In Helsinki metropolitan area the prices are twice the above Finding accommodation e.g Vuokraovi.com 15 19.9.2018 19.9.2018

Costs of living The cost of living in Finland is on average comparable to the rest of Northern Europe Kindergarten 24-264 €/month Library free of charge Cinema ticket 10-14 € Petrol 95 E/ 1litre 1,36 € Train trip 400 km 60 € Milk 1 l 0,87 € Bread kg 3,56 € Coffee 500 g 4,11 € Beer 1,80 € Source: Statistics Finland, National Consumer Reserach Centre 19.9.2018 EURES Finland

Further information Foreigners working in Finland www.te-services.fi EURES portal eures.europa.eu Studying/practical training www.studyinfinland.fi General information on Finland www.thisisFINLAND.fi 19.9.2018 EURES Finland

Kiitos! Thank you! EURES FINLAND 18 19.9.2018 19.9.2018 EURES Finland