Policy measures on highly skilled internationals’ integration into Finnish society abound – but are they effective enough?
To find out how public policies attempt to respond to the challenges of international talents in Finland, we did an extensive analysis of national policy documents. The results were partly unexpected – and raised a number of questions about the effectiveness of the current integration policies around highly skilled internationals. Public policies in critical focus […]
“Puhutaanko suomea – or shall we use English?” International communication at work in Finland
In the HIWE project, we continue digging into the stories told by highly skilled internationals. While doing that, we have realised that many of the themes discussed in the interviews are prevalent inside our own research team. Learning and speaking the Finnish language is among the core issues that bother international professionals. It is no […]
An update on HIWE project’s results, autumn 2023
HIWE in brief High-skilled internationals: bottom-up insights into policy innovation for work and entrepreneurship in Finland (HIWE) is a two-year Business Finland funded research project implemented by the University of Eastern Finland and the University of Turku between 2022 and 2024. In the project, we listen to internationals’ experiences of Finland. We look at how […]
Ecosystem maps of local international talent services published
Welcome back to our blog! This autumn (2023), we continue to publish results from our research work. As a brief reminder, one of the key objectives in HIWE is to study how highly skilled internationals experience living, working and being an entrepreneur in Finland. We want to learn about both the positives and the negatives […]
The new Government Programme tightens Finland’s migration policy
The newly appointed government of Prime Minister Petteri Orpo (kok) is tightening Finland’s migration policy in many ways. The policy shows the strong handprint of the migration-critical Finns Party. This blog discusses the key immigration policies of the new government programme, especially from the perspective of international talent. Finnish migration policy turns more right-wing In […]
Listening to the life stories of international talents – a researcher’s perspective
HIWE has published five intriguing stories about the lives of international talent in Finland. The stories are based on the interview material collected in the project since autumn 2022. This blog is a personal reflection of one researcher on the questions that the stories bring to the fore. From ALL-YOUTH to HIWE – but with […]
“See the person behind the papers” – International talent’s experiences of Finnish working life and how to develop it
We have recently interviewed several dozens of international talents in the HIWE project. In the interviews, we have asked about their lives before coming to Finland, their experiences while in Finland, and their hopes and plans for the future. Our special interest has been in internationals’ experiences of employment, working life and entrepreneurship in Finland. […]
Parliamentary elections 2023 are a tight battle between the largest parties – The election results will affect Finnish immigration policy
Finland is currently preparing for the 2023 parliamentary elections. Work-based immigration has become one of the key themes in the debate. The election results will impact considerably what kind of immigration and integration policy Finland will pursue for the next four years. This post takes a look at what the three parties competing for the […]
Onko maahanmuuttajien tehtävänä sopeutua suomalaisuuteen?
Keskusteltaessa maahanmuutosta ja maahanmuuttajista on ehkä hyvä pysähtyä pohtimaan suomalaisuutta. Perustuuko suomalaisuus yhä pelkästään sisuun ja saunaan? Voiko suomalaisuus muuttua? Ja voisiko muutoksesta seurata jotain hyvää meille kaikille? Suomalaisuus muuttuvana identiteettinä Kaksikymmentä vuotta sitten olin mukana monialaisessa, monipuolisessa ja tuolloin vielä nuorehkossa ”Tulevaisuuden tekijät” -ryhmässä. ”Tulevaisuuden tekijät” -koulutusohjelma toteutettiin osana laajempaa Sitran Suomi 2015 -ohjelmaa. […]
Researching stories on migration(s)
The HIWE project takes part in the Annual Conference of the Finnish Political Science Association held in Jyväskylä in May 2023. We coordinate a working group in the conference in which we examine what kinds of stories media, politics and research currently tell and promote about migration and integration. The stories are complex and controversial […]