Text Tuomo Tarvas

Transferring immigrant issues from the Ministry of Labour to the Ministry of the Interior will be a big change. Mervi Virtanen, director of the immigration political department, reassures that they will adapt to the new situation.

– Originally, the Ministry of Labour disagreed about the administrative concentration. Now that the solutions have been made, things are prepared according to the set framework by the government, Virtanen states.

In addition, the Ministry of the Interior will also be in charge of integration in the future. Mervi Virtanen expects that the tools presently available to the Ministry of the Interior won´t suffice to implement and supervise integration since regional and municipal issues included in the government programme will be transferred from the Ministry. In other words, they will have no local authorities responsible for integration.

– In our view, one ministry can´t possibly be in charge of integration because it concerns so many walks of life. The resources in the Ministry of the Interior won´t be adequate. The relevant minister (Thors) is in the key position to consolidate collaboration between the Ministry of the Interior and other ministries, Virtanen says. She hopes to see no backtrack from development. 

– If the social services section in municipalities started dealing with issues of integration and employment related to immigrants, we would go back ten years in time.

“Integration has reduced the rate of unemployment"

The act on the integration of immigrants and the reception of asylum seekers became effective in May 1999. According to Mervi Virtanen, it is very difficult to measure how successful the integration has been.

– What can be said is that the rate of immigrants´ unemployment has been markedly reduced and new immigrants entering after the integration act has become valid have been employed considerably quickly compared to earlier arrivals. We´ve been able to provide reasonably good allocations for initial training.

Virtanen would have wished that the government programme had put more emphasis on integration.

– According to the current government programme, integration is promoted by means of language training. That´s all.

Women and youngsters are at risk of being displaced

In terms of immigrants, highly educated individuals coming from Western countries tend to be best employed while women with a refugee background are in the worst position. Director Mervi Virtanen feels particularly concerned about their position.

– They generally have very little education and big families. Some are even illiterate. Women raise the children and take care of the family. Not many women have entered the labour market. Moreover, their educational background is weak, which is due to lead to difficulties in the long run.

– An effective involvement requires a more far-sighted planning and delivery of training than at present, in addition to support measures, such as providing childcare for the training period, Virtanen says.

According to her, young people are another risk group. After comprehensive school, many immigrant youngsters are totally left outside of vocational training. Besides, the drop out rate of students engaging in further studies is high. Children who enter Finland before they reach school age are in a better position as far as learning the language is concerned. It has been proved that good language skills accelerate integration.

– If children enter the country at the age of 10–14, they don´t necessarily manage to acquire a sufficient knowledge of the language before they finish comprehensive school. We have a ticking time bomb if hundreds of young immigrants are left without vocational training. This will have an inevitable impact on society, Mervi Virtanen believes.

According to the government programme, the student´s place as well as sufficient study guidance and support measures are to be safeguarded to each youngster who finishes basic education.

– The drop out rate is reduced and the integration and employment of immigrants are promoted through training. Hopefully immigrant youngsters will be provided more support through this, Virtanen goes on to say.

Friends and the employment exchange office help

In their search for work, immigrants resort to a number of private labour exchange companies and firms hiring workers as well as employment exchange offices. Statistics don´t imply which channels prove to bring most jobs to immigrants, but Mervi Virtanen feels certain that they still find employment exchange offices useful. However, there are other alternatives too.

– Surveys have proved that getting a job with the help of one´s friends is common among immigrants. This is how potential discrimination can be avoided in a situation where one applies for work.

– Another group consists of those coming from abroad to work in Finland who resort to the system of EURES (the European Employment and Job Mobility Network). Especially individuals from the third countries hire a large number of private employment agents, Virtanen explains.

Municipalities and employees ought to engage in combating discrimination

Dozens or even hundreds of various projects have endeavoured to combat discrimination and racism, but despite that, prejudices still exist.

– There´s no philosphers´ stone. Discrimination occurs in working life as well as elsewhere. Unfortunately, authorities only become aware of a fraction of its expressions, Mervi Virtanen points out.

According to her, Finland and the EU have a functional anti-discrimination legislation. In addition, resources for labour protection have been increased and Finland employs authorities such as the minority ombudsman and the discrimination ombudsman focusing on a specialist field. In short, we have a set framework, but single municipalities and workers have a responsibility to make sure that no expressions of discrimination occur in workplaces.

– Municipalities ought to follow plans of equality in all administrative fields. It is inadequate to intervene in discrimination after it has occurred, Mervi Virtanen sums up.