Employment experiment for immigrants proves encouraging

A total of 869 out of the 2,211 immigrants who participated in the Social Impact Bond (SIB) integration experiment had been employed by

December last year, said the economic affairs and employment ministry in a press release.

The experiment is estimated to employ approximately 1,000 to 1,200 people in total.

Most of the jobs were created in sectors suffering from labour shortage, such as restaurants, cleaning, transport and storage, but some of them were also in academic fields.

The experiment involves combining language and vocational skills training with on-the-job learning and support for employment.

“We are pleased with the results even if we did not reach the target of employing 2,500 immigrants,” said the ministry’s Migration Director Sonja Hämäläinen.

“The number of immigrants participating in the experiment was not as large as we initially anticipated due to the large number of young people in the target group. It makes more sense for young people to obtain a qualification in Finland before applying for work. In addition, the target group was expanded to include all immigrants who seek international protection in Finland. The experiment showed that the project was best suited for immigrants who have lived in Finland for several years,” observed Hämäläinen.