Report: Finland considered a safe and secure country for businesses

As many as 95% of managers with foreign background thought that Finland is a safe and secure country to do business in. Safe and equal work environment, flexible working hours and good work-life balance were listed as strengths of the Finnish working life, while Finnish companies could improve communication practices and make better use of the strengths of employees coming from different cultures.

These are some of the results from the Made by Finland survey. Foreign employees, students and managers living in Finland were interviewed for the survey to get a better understanding of the Finnish working life as an element of Finland’s country brand. Of the respondents:

• 87% agreed that workplaces are safe and healthy;
• 82% felt that men and women have equal opportunities at work;
• over 80% felt that managers and employees are skilled and competent, that employees can develop their skills and competences, that employees are productive and deliver high-quality results and that companies are adept at utilising new technologies;
• over 80% estimated that employees have a high work ethic, that working atmosphere in companies is good and that employees have the ability to work in teams.

The survey also reviewed areas in need of development in the Finnish working life. Some 50% of respondents estimated that companies are not making use of the strengths of employees coming from different cultures. Other weaknesses identified by the respondents included language skills, communication skills, social interaction skills, excess bureaucracy especially in larger organisations, and low pay.

Recruiting practices were also considered challenging for foreign talents. Respondents reported that companies use internal recruitment too often. They also felt that Finnish language skills are given to much emphasis in recruiting.

Survey results help in attracting international talents and investments to Finland

“We will use the survey results to find ways to make Finland more attractive to international talents and companies as part of Talent Boost and Invest in Finland,” says Special Advisor Elise Ramstad from Business Finland.

Talent Boost is an intersectoral action programme for the Finnish Government that collaborates with the biggest growth centres in the country. It aims to make Finland more attractive to international talents and to channel the expertise of international talents already in Finland to support growth, internationalisation and innovation in Finnish companies.

The Made by Finland survey is part of the working life brand work under the Working Life 2020 project which is coordinated by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment. The Finnish working life brand is built on three attributes: skills, co-operation and safety. More than three in four respondents estimated that the attributes were very accurate or fairly accurate.

The Made by Finland campaign aims to develop Finnish working life as part of Finland’s country brand. It is a collaboration of the Association for Finnish Work, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, the Working Life 2020 project, the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, and Business Finland.

Made by Finland survey report (in Finnish)

Inquiries:
Elise Ramstad, Senior Advisor, Business Finland, tel. +358 50 5577948
Margita Klemetti, Project Manager, Working Life 2020, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, tel. +358 29 504 7032
Mikko Ulander, Research Director, Innolink, tel. +358 45 358 6815