Background information

The government of Finland decided to grant refugees the right to work in Finland immediately after they submit their application for temporary protection under the EU Directive on Temporary Protection 2001/55/EC and the Finnish Aliens Act 301/2004 [Ulkomaalaislaki].

The Confederation of Finnish Industries EK together with the staffing company Staffpoint launched the Security Through Work-Project. This programme aims to organise Finnish companies that are willing to employ refugees with a working permit.

Content of measure

The measure was originally suggested to the Confederation of Finnish Industries EK by the staffing company Staffpoint as a way to ensure access to labour markets and ease the transition to living in Finland for Ukrainian refugees. Staffpoint is operating pro bono for four months. The programme is coordinated by the Confederation of Finnish Industries EK. The programme is available for all refugees with work permits, not just those from Ukraine.

The participating companies can be from any sector, as long as they are committed to employ refugees during the project and contribute to increased internationality of Finnish work culture.

Use of measure

By the end of 2023, more than 600 persons that have arrived in Finland under temporary protection have found employment within the framework of the Staffpoint project. More than 100 Finnish companies have participated from a multitude of sectors including retail, restaurant & hospitality, IT, manufacturing, logistics, and construction.

The aim of the project is to find employment for 200 to 400 refugees. Over 30 companies have participated as of 24 March 2022.

After the pilot phase, 439 Ukrainians and other refugees found employment through the project, according to a press release by one of the initiators StaffPoint. As of 10 October 2022, over 88 companies had signed up for the project.

Target groups

Workers	Businesses	Citizens
Unemployed	Applies to all businesses	Migrants or refugees

Actors and funding

Actors	Funding
Employers' organisations Company / Companies	Companies Employers organisation

Social partners

Social partners' role in designing the measure and form of involvement:

	Trade unions	Employers' organisations
Role	No involvement	Agreed (outcome) incl. social partner initiative
Form	Not applicable	Any other form of consultation, institutionalised (as stable working groups or committees) or informal

Social partners' role in the implementation, monitoring and assessment phase:

• Only employers' organisations
• Main level of involvement: Unknown

Involvement

The project is coordinated by the Confederation of Finnish Industries EK.

Views and reactions

No information on trade union reactions.

Sources

• 14 March 2022: Security through work -project (Työstä turvaa -hanke) (ek.fi)
• 06 October 2022: Security through work -project found a way to employ Ukrainians (Työstö turvaa -hanke löysi väylän työllistää ukrainalaisia) (www.sttinfo.fi)
• 07 November 2024: The Job Security Channel is empowering businesses and job seekers [Työstä turvaa -kanava voimauttamassa yrityksiä ja osaajia] (www.staffpoint.fi)