International recruitment – resources for the future
Retirement will create a labor shortage
The retirement of people from the baby boom era will lead to a need for labor in the near future because domestic labor will not be able to answer to the challenge the mass retirement will cause. In the Uusimaa region alone, nearly 310,000 people will be leaving the labor market by 2025. The healthcare and social welfare services sector will see the greatest loss of labor, as approximately 185,000 employees will leave the market (Ministry of Employment and the Economy).
Raising the retirement age and speeding up the time students are given to study are not enough to guarantee a sufficient amount of labor. The proportion of people who are the working age will drop from 67 % to 58 % by the year 2030. The change is the largest in the EU. To ensure services for the aging remain at today’s standards, approximately 140,000 people of the working age should move to Finland annually. By 2020, there should be 1.8 million immigrants in Finland (Economic strategy, 2008).
Ethical solution for labor shortage
VMP has a created a concept for responsibly recruiting employees with an immigrant background. We offer a well-functioning alternative, which observes Finnish laws and employment terms and which ensures employees receive job orientation and training, assistance in residing in the country and that they are paid properly.
The fields of construction, nursing and healthcare and seasonal jobs that do not require special expertise have a demand for the service. Skills in Finnish and an understanding of the Finnish culture are required in the nursing field and for this reason training in the Finnish language and culture begins the immigrants’ country before they arrive in Finland.
We apply valid, Finnish collective labor agreements to all of the employment relationships with foreigners who enter the country through VMP. They also receive social security from a Finnish accident and retirement insurance company. The employees are in a Finnish employment relationship with a Finnish company. The employees’ wages are paid to a Finnish bank account, and the income tax, etc. is withheld according to the income tax laws in force.
Employees arriving in Finland through VMP are also entitled to occupational healthcare. We find decent, furnished apartments for them and they have the opportunity to contact friends and family in their home country through the Internet. In addition, the employees are informed about Finnish labor legislation, terms of employment, paying taxes, etc. to ensure they are aware of their rights in Finland and the type of place in which they will be working.
When employees enter the country, a representative who speaks their language meets them and helps them register with the tax office, shows them around the town in which they will live and work and helps them in the event they need an interpreter.
The job assignments generally last several months. VMP works in close cooperation with trade unions, and the employees are welcome to join a trade union if they wish. VMP does not charge recruitment fees or any other fees.
Read more about international recruitment for companies.