SAK's expert: Finland lures labour from abroad under false pretences

(Helsinki 15.09.2008 - Juhani Artto) The government of prime minister Matti Vanhanen has made it easier for foreign labour to enter the Finnish labour market. Simultaneously, several enterprises, from both the industrial and the service sectors, have begun to recruit labour from abroad.

In a recent article, Pia Björkbacka, a business policy expert at the union confederation SAK, criticises both the government and private business enterprises for their policy on migrant labour.

One fifth of the migrants who have already moved to Finland are unemployed, Björkbacka reminds us.

- Thus, the policy on migration should concentrate on improving the employment of foreigners already living in Finland, she emphasises.

The most common argument for importing more foreign labour into Finland is to refer to the difficulties some employers have had or have in finding people for certain jobs. Björkbacka suggests that often the difficulty in respect of the latter problem is caused by the tenuous nature plus low pay of the jobs on offer, which are either part-time or temporary jobs and where the promised pay is not high enough to make a living.

She also reminds us that according to an official report, published in April, the problem in recruiting is no longer critical. In January employers faced difficulties in finding employees for 2,700 jobs but in less than 700 cases was a real shortage of labour the main problem. The remainder were poor quality jobs (part-time, unsuitable working hours etc.) and thus did not interest potential job seekers.

These problems have been most common in retailing, catering, cleaning, construction and berry-picking, Björkbacka writes.

- Migrant labour is often used as low-wage employees.

This can easily lead to the creation of two labour markets, one for foreigners, another for Finns, Björkbacka warns.

- To avoid, in Finland, the emergence of a two-tier labour market we have to strengthen action against illegal recruiting fees, illegal employer practises and illegal working.

Björkbacka criticises the government for cutting resources for those public organisations whose task it is to monitor and control working conditions concerning migrant labour.