As Finland seeks more Filipino skilled workers, Finnish officials and recruiters emphasized strong worker protection, ethical recruitment, and family-friendly support for Filipino workers hired at the mega job fair held in Mandaluyong City on Wednesday.

In an interview on Wednesday, Joonas Halla, business development manager at Business Finland, and Elisa Vepsalainen, CEO at Silkkitie, one of the companies that participated in the job fair, shared the growing demand for Filipino workers due to their character and work ethic.

Halla added that Finland is also facing an impending workforce shortage, with nearly half of its labor force expected to retire by 2040.

“We do need Filipino workers in the coming years. Like I said, Finland is an aging population and I think there is a very good cultural match between Finland and the Philippines. There’s very good English-speaking skills here. I think when it comes to moral concept of life, Finland may not be a practicing Christian country anymore, but the Christian moral concept is still there. And there’s a lot of cultural fits that play a role,” he said.

“Many companies in Finland come to me and say that, well, our competitor has Filipino workers, they are doing a great job. We also want to hire Filipino workers. So it’s a good envy going on in Finland at the moment. So Filipinos are well-respected in the work community in Finland, and we are very grateful for Filipinos for coming to Finland.”

Halla said that Finnish firms are particularly looking for workers in the industry sector, including welders and machinists, as well as in the service sector.

Meanwhile, Vepsalainen said that Silkkitie is engaged in the Finnish health sector.

She said that while the company did not participate in the job fair, they maintain a pipeline of candidates, with some of them currently undergoing training, including Finnish language.

She, however, noted that not all sectors require language skills.

Both Halla and Vepsalainen ensured equal pay and worker protection afforded to Finnish workers, including family support and integration mechanisms.

“We want Filipino workers to find a home in Finland,” Vepsalainen said, noting that single parents are also well supported, benefiting from a flexible and inclusive system.

Halla said that the job fair was part of the Philippines-Finland Friendship Week, which opened on Tuesday, aiming to promote safe and transparent hiring.

They also noted that Finland enforces a strict no-placement-fee policy to ensure ethical recruitment.

For details on working in Finland, interested individuals may visit the website: www.workinfinland.com. (PNA)