Employment Services Supporting Integration

Promoting integration refers to the multidisciplinary promotion and support of integration through cooperation between authorities and other parties. These measures and services are organized in particular as part of basic municipal services, employment services, and social and health care services in the wellbeing services county.

Initial assessment of service needs and information about Finland 

The immigrant's integration and employment service needs are initially assessed in an initial assessment. The initial assessment is initiated by employment services or the municipality's integration services. The municipality may ask the wellbeing services county to participate in the preparation of the initial assessment if the immigrant's service needs require the coordination of services from different authorities. 

Immigrants are also offered basic information about Finnish society and opportunities to receive support for integration and employment.

Parents of immigrant families are provided with information and advice on services specifically aimed at families, as well as on the legislation and practices concerning families in Finnish society.

Integrating as a job seeker

As a job seeker, an immigrant has mainly the same rights and obligations as other job seekers. The employment of an immigrant can be promoted, for example, through work trials, wage subsidies, employment promotion services and additional training. Receiving unemployment benefit always requires registering as a job seeker.

An integration plan is drawn up for the immigrant, and a two-year integration period begins from the date of its preparation. During this period, the immigrant's language skills and professional competence can be supported in various ways.

Integration training includes language teaching and professional planning   

Integration training for adult immigrants includes Finnish or Swedish language instruction, if necessary, literacy instruction, other instruction that promotes the immigrant's social, cultural, and life-management skills, and instruction that supports access to working life and further education.

Integration training may also include the recognition of previously acquired skills and qualifications, as well as vocational planning and career guidance. Integration training is mainly carried out through labour market training, i.e. the person integrating must register as a job seeker with employment services.  

The Ministry of Education and Culture is responsible for adult immigrant literacy training and basic education for adults. The municipality also offers Finnish language instruction, for example at community colleges.
 

Employment services promote employment for immigrants 

Immigrants are supported by directing them to vocational training and independent study if necessary. An immigrant who wants to become an entrepreneur can also be supported, for example, with entrepreneurship training and start-up funding. The municipality's own business services help with this.  

Support measures can be arranged for immigrants who need special measures. Similarly, support services in accordance with the Integration Act can be arranged for children or young people who arrived as minors without guardians and have received a residence permit.