Is Finland A Good Place To Work And Live In? Is Finland A Foreigner Friendly Country? A Double Edged Truth About The Finnish Working Life

I moved to Finland as a Student 6 years ago and since then I have experienced the Finnish culture and way of life as well as the working life in Finland. As someone who is documenting Life in Finland as a Foreigner, I hear the concerns of incoming students and immigrants from some of the emails that I receive about Life in Finland. Is Finland a safe country? Is Finland a good place to work and live in? Is Finland a foreigner friendly country? These are some of the very common questions I get asked as an expat in Finland.

And they are not wrong. Living and working in Finland has it’s own very special perks and benefits that you may not find in your own home country, depending on where you are coming from. Now let’s break it down bit by bit. We will be looking at it from two categories;

Is Finland a good place to work and live in?

Let me quickly point out here that the Finnish working life is well regulated by law, which the employers as well as the employees have to obey. There are many legislation in place which frown against discrimination in work places and promotes safe working environment for employees. There are regulations like the (Employment Contracts Act) monitoring things like overtime, sick leave, salaries and wages, working hours, holidays, and so on.

1.  Job security: An employer cannot just lay off an employee whenever and however he or she chooses to. The work agreement is a legally binding contract and both parties are obliged under the law to keep the terms of the contract. Lay-offs are well organized and regulated by law and employers have to follow the guidelines when they lay an employee off work.  For example, the employer has to give a notice of intention to lay-off to the employee and notify him or her of the reasons for the lay-off at least 2 weeks (14 calendar days) ahead. And the employer must also give the employee opportunity to respond to the reasons for the lay-off.

2. Equality in Working life: Everyone is given equal opportunities at the workplace, irrespective of their gender. However, there are statistics to show that this isn’t entirely easy to achieve. Some women have complained of inequality in terms of wages. I talked about this in detail in a video GENDER EQUALITY IN FINLAND: Does it TRULY Exist? The Reality in Work Places, Home, Wages, Politics! Regardless of this, Finland ranks amongst the top countries when it comes to Gender Equality.

3. Work Life in Finland: The working condition in Finland is one of the best in the world. Employees are provided enough room for flexibility, responsibility, and initiative. Work places are crime-free and safe and the employers do not hesitate to invest in the employees to ensure they improve their skills and knowledge in their field of work. Employees enjoy a relaxed atmosphere at work and they are also given opportunities to work in other locations once in a while for the sake of variety, flexibility, and self care.

4. Family Life Considerations: Family life is also taken into consideration in the Finnish working life. Employees can take a paid leave from work if their child or spouse is sick and needs care. They are also entitled to a Paid holiday. Sounds good right? You pick a location, within or outside of Finland and you go have some holiday with your family, or alone, without worrying about your salary. It will still be paid as if you were at work. No worries about that.

5. Good Pay: Although there is no official minimum wage in Finland, compared to many other countries, the salary is still good because it is based upon already agreed amounts by Trade Union. These Collective Agreements on what should be paid also include when you work overtime, and also sick leave and holidays. In some kind of professions, you can negotiate with your employer how much you want to be paid. Employees are also entitled to other work related benefits as well as food and work travel related costs.

Is Finland a foreigner friendly country?

Now looking at it from the perspective of many foreigners in Finland. Many have not had the opportunity to experience the Finnish working life. And that is where the second aspect of this post come in. It is an undisputed fact that Finland is one of the best countries in the world in terms of safety, economy, human rights, internationalization, and so on.

This is a fact that many foreigners living in Finland will not argue against. However, if truth be told, many foreigners do not personally have good experiences with the Finnish job market. It appears that most of the companies have been biased in their selection in that recent survey shows that job applicants with foreign backgrounds and foreign sounding names get their applications tossed to the side.

I have made some videos about this in detail so definitely go check them out. For example, see this one; Do Foreigners Find It Hard To Get A Job In Finland? Reasons Why, Tips On How To Get Job In Finland. You will also find this one very useful and informative; 3 MAIN WAYS To Get Job Experience In Finland; How To Build Your CV / Get A Permanent Job In Finland. 

So in a nutshell, I would say that Finland is definitely a good place to work and live in. The economy is good and well organized and you are well covered by the law as an employee. As a foreigner living in Finland, it may be hard to get settled in and start enjoying life in Finland due to certain challenges or hurdles (language barrier for example). Once you get past these stumbling blocks, you are on your way to enjoy an established and fulfilling life in Finland as a Foreigner.

You may also enjoy:

Follow ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Share This Post