Finland should use its embassies around the world, particularly those in south-east Asia, to help recruit foreign workers, finds a report by an intra-ministerial working group charged with advancing the recruitment of foreign labour to Finland. The working group handed its findings along with suggestions over to Minister of Migration and European Affairs Astrid Thors on Thursday. The working group is headed by Governmental Counsellor Eero Koskenniemi. Embassies could have a function to support labour recruitment, finds the report. In playing a more active role in labour recruitment, embassies would also help prevent the economic exploitation of workers. The working group moreover found that Finland should utilise the European Employment Services Network (Eures), designed to facilitate the free movement of workers, to its full potential. The group also calls for improving the mobility of workers from north-western Russia. In terms of the healthcare sector, the overwhelming priority is to attract Finnish nurses back to Finland. The working group also wants to see standardised language and proficiency requirements instated to help streamline the recruitment of foreign health professionals. Thors Calls for Speedy Measures
While Thors applauds the group's work, she says Finland still lacks the tools for quickly solving the labour shortage currently afflicting the healthcare sector.
"At the moment Denmark is recruiting doctors from Germany. Finland should embark on similar recruiting campaigns in EU countries. Even if we're able to attract all the Finnish healthcare professionals working abroad back to Finland, we would still have a labour shortage in the sector," says Thors.
Meanwhile, the Interior Ministry is currently working to ease residence permit procedures.
