By Päivi Arvonen

Immigrants are highly motivated to work, but their employment opportunities are often hampered by poor Finnish language skills. However, many jobs would not require perfect Finnish.

Ten immigrant women gather in the team room of MONIKA – Multi-cultural Women’s Association – on Hermannin rantatie in Helsinki. They hail from Asia, Africa, Europe and the Middle East. Some of them have a university or vocational degree from their home country, some others cannot read and write. They are united by a strong urge to find work.

Project leader Heidi Hirvonen at MONIKA asks the women to gather in small groups and to think of an answer to the question, “What am I good at?” The discussion flows to difficulties faced by immigrant women in Finland.

“Why don’t the Finns speak? I would like to practice my Finnish with my neighbours and others, but they don’t reply. I learn Finnish from TV, especially from children’s programmes, which are the easiest to understand,” one African-born woman says.

Nursing studies remained a dream

Boudrissi Hassania moved from Morocco to Finland nine years ago with her Moroccan husband. She is 39 years old and a trained cook and beautician. During her years in Finland, she has cared for her two children at home, studied Finnish, held an apprentice job and worked as a subsidized employee at a day care centre and at an assisted living home.

“I enjoyed working with seniors and did well in my job. I would want to qualify as a practical nurse through apprenticeship training, but I’m not accepted to training because I don’t know Finnish well enough,” Hassania says in perfectly understandable Finnish.

Hirvonen thinks that the public discussion about employment for immigrants is frustrating.

“Why is there no discussion about the fact that employers don’t want to hire immigrants? Not every job requires perfect Finnish,” she says.

A job through networking

Dana Kilpeläinen, a 35-year-old Romanian woman, moved to Finland two years ago with her Finnish husband and two children, who are both under school age. Kilpeläinen holds a master’s degree in corporate communication and marketing from Romania. She has about ten years of work experience in demanding duties in her field. In addition to Romanian, English and French, she speaks good Finnish.

“The employment office recommended that I train as a practical nurse, but I want to work in duties that correspond to my education,” Kilpeläinen said last January.

In March, she had good news.

“An association hired me on a work try-out. I’m a project assistant in marketing, communication and event coordination,” Kilpeläinen says.

She found the job through the networks of MONIKA.

“It’s very important to network to find employment,” Kilpeläinen says.

Hirvonen reminds all women that employment also has positive health effects.

“Long unemployment worsens your general mood and can lead to social exclusion. Work try-outs are a good channel to employment. They allow you to get your foot in the door and to learn such language skills that language courses don’t teach you,” Hirvonen says.

A MONIKA project focusing on skilled women (Osaavat naiset) helps immigrant women in Helsinki and Vantaa onto a course that leads to employment. The project started in 2011 and lasts to 2016. It is financed by the Uusimaa Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment.

An employment project of the Multi-cultural Women’s Association MONIKA focusing on skilled women (Osaavat naiset) includes a campaign to give skilled women opportunities (Anna osaajalle mahdollisuus). The campaign is on Twitter @osaavatnaiset. The goal of the campaign is to find new partner employers for the project and to encourage employers to recruit immigrant job seekers. The campaign highlights the potential of skilled immigrant job seekers.

Translated by Johanna Lemola 

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