Finland: A land of dramatic landscapes, rich culture and exciting employment opportunities!

Ghosts. That’s where it all began for Hannele and EURES Finland when they were planning their latest recruitment event. “For some employers, recruiting international workers is as scary as recruiting ghosts,” she jokes. “And there are ghosts at Häme, as in every old castle, so I got the idea of building the event on that basis.”

Häme Castle sits on the edge of a lake in Hämeenlinna, Finland. It was the perfect setting for an event that welcomed over 80 participants, including jobseekers and employers. The ultimate aim of the event was to give these two groups the chance to meet face-to-face, network and, hopefully, sign employment contracts.

They also got the chance to enjoy a seminar with a panel discussion and an onsite recruitment fair with stands – and a ghostly twist. “To make it [the onsite recruitment fair] more attractive, there was a group of entertainers who introduced the stand visitors to a Ghostbusters-like recruitment story,” Hannele shares.

The success of the event was captured in a video that EURES Finland released in December 2019. When asked about the message that viewers should take away from the video, Hannele says “that by socialising and networking you’ll be able to succeed in international recruiting. And by including a bit of entertainment, you’ll attract more new participants for the following year.”

When they’re not organising ghost-themed recruitment events, the EURES Finland team is providing a range of support to jobseekers and employers in Finland and beyond. It’s important work for a country that’s experiencing a lack of qualified workers in fields such as healthcare, metalworking, logistics, services and tourism (particularly in Lapland).

“For jobseekers, we provide guidance with recruiting and the use of the EURES portal,” Hannele explains. “We also offer advice on Your first EURES job, financial support and subsidised Finnish language courses in the workplace.”

For employers, the support relates to recruitment services, guidance and financial support for language training. “Hiring workers from other countries helps companies to become international themselves and reach international markets,” Hannele says. “These workers also benefit the company on a daily basis by bringing new language skills and increasing the understanding of other cultures.”

The EURES website offers a wealth of information and opportunities for both jobseekers who are looking to make the move to Finland, and Finnish employers who are looking to employ workers from other countries.

Further information can be found on a range of other websites: