Foreign talent and language skills in Finland: the role of organisations
Yesterday the government announced an aim to at least double study and work-based immigration by 2030. For anyone interested in diversity and inclusion, the fact that Finland needs foreign talent is no news. Just as it is clear that increasing immigration without changing work life practices will not be a solution.
Foreign talents already in the country are struggling to bring their competences and skills to strengthen the Finnish economy. Lack of language skills is a common reason cited for the challenges. A survey conducted last year by Kotona suomessa-project showed that indeed almost 50% of recruiters reported that in order to be able to succeed in their organisation, candidates needed to have close to native Finnish language skills.
For the Finnish economy, for companies to benefit from diversity, and for the wellbeing of foreign talents as individuals we need to rethink what we mean by language skills. Where is native language skills an absolute requirement, and where could one manage with evolving language skills? We also need to challenge our thoughts around the mere nature of language skills: we need to remember that language skills are never fixed. We constantly learn and unlearn, and through the language we use we become members of different communities. When we lack opportunities of using a language in a varied way, we unlearn and we disconnect from the community.
No one can ever become fluent in a language without ever having been exposed to it in a variety of situations and over an extended period of time.
Finnish Institute of Occupational Health is an example of an organisation that has critically evaluated its own language policies and practices in the benefit of the organisation and individual candidates. By reviewing language requirements and preparing the work community to a hybrid language model where employees can use both Finnish and English at work, the organisation was able to attract job candidates from a much wider pool of talent. And candidates with developing Finnish skills gained that opportunity to become members of a community, a community where their language skills will grow.
Reviewing current language practices and policies and designing new models is an important job for anyone working with diversity and inclusion. We need new, more flexible approaches to language. Only when Finnish can be used by speakers at different skill levels in work contexts, when communities will open up for language users who grow and develop, can foreign talents become a solution to the Finnish economy.
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April’s Includia Reflects is written by Includia’s CEO Jonna Louvirer. Louvrier has over 10 years of experience on D&I research in Finland, France and USA.
