The Minister said she would be prepared to abandon restrictions on non-EU citizens working in Finland. The Christian Democratic politician has previously been known for cautious views on immigration.
Current rules call for vacancies to first be offered to out-of-work Finns before they’re made available to non-EU citizens. According to the Ministry of Employment and the Economy, the rule aims to "ensure that those already in the labour market are not prevented from finding jobs."
"It’s cold here and the languages—Finnish and Swedish—aren't too appealing," she said of the obstacles to newcomers settling in the country.
Earlier this week the head of the Government Institute for Economic Research, Juhana Vartiainen, told commercial broadcaster MTV3 that Finland needs between 10–20,000 migrants to prevent a labour shortage.
Räsänen did not say how many more immigrants she would like to welcome.
The issue itself is not a new one. Former Migration Minister Astrid Thors wanted residence permit rules changed during the previous government, but her proposal never became a bill due to opposition from the Social Democrats and Centre Party.
The Interior Ministry is drafting a new immigration strategy due to be published next spring.
