1. Living and Working in Finland
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2. Geography 5,4 million inhabitants Capital Helsinki (600 000)
Other big cities: Espoo ( ) Tampere ( ), Vantaa ( ), Turku ( )
40 % of the Finnish population lives in the 10 largest cities
Neighbouring countries: Sweden, Norway, Russia, Estonia
Foreign citizens 3,6%
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3. 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
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4. 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
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5. Finnish labour market Employment rate 68 % men: 68 %, women 67.9 %
Unemployment rate 8,7 %
Source: Statistics Finland 2014, Annual Employment Service Statistic 2014

6. Labour market situation
Occupationatiol barometer 3/2015
SHORTAGE TOP 15
SURPLUS TOP 15
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7. 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 speak English
Finnish language courses in the internet e.g. Venla - Finnish for Foreigners

8. 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
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9. Examples of gross income
Engineer €/month
Carpenter €/month
Secretary 2 100–2 600 €/month
Bus driver €/month
Cleaner – €/month
Shop assistant – €/month
Medical nurse €/month
Social worker €/month
The average Finnish salary is 3300€/month (2014/2)
Source: Statistics Finland

10. 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:

11. 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

12. Job seeking and job vacancies
Most of the jobs are published at the TE Services (public employment service) website at
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Private recruitment agencies e.g
Companies also recruit through their own websites
Direct contact with employers
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13. Application procedure
CV and application letter, often also copies of certificates of graduation and references
Usually by or with a direct application through the company webpage
Examples of CVs:
Employers usually choose 3 to 5 applicants to be interviewed

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

15. 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: – €
In Helsinki metropolitan area the prices are twice the above
Finding accommodation e.g Vuokraovi.com 15

16. Costs of living
The cost of living in Finland is on average comparable to the rest of Northern Europe
Kindergarten €/month
Library free of charge
Cinema ticket €
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
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17. Further information Foreigners working in Finland www.te-services.fi
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eures.europa.eu
Studying/practical training
General information on Finland
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18. Kiitos!
Thank you!
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