In accordance with Finland's tech industry, the country needs 50,000 immigrants a year for the next 28 years in order to fill job vacancies arising due to an ageing population. Technology Finland said on Wednesday that the industry alone, which is the most significant export sector in Finland, will require 130,000 new experts in the next 10 years, as reported by Xinhua news agency.
Only half of these immigrants would be able to replace retirees, meaning there will be tens of thousands of job vacancies in the export industry in the next decade as well. Jaakko Eskola, chairman of Technology Finland, an association of around 1,800 tech industry companies, said, "Finland is getting older and more indebted, and our economical maintenance relationship is turning upside down.”
Henceforth, the country is expected to build a successful long-term immigration policy. Albeit, according to Eskola, only immigration alone will not solve all Finland's challenges. The skill level of young people needs to be raised as well, especially in the fields of information and communication technology.
A total of 7,060 applicants from outside the European Union (EU) were given first-time residence permits for studies between January and October 2022. The approved number in the same period in 2021 was 4,595.
"The number of new international students has increased significantly, even when compared to the pre-Covid years," Elina Immonen, deputy director general of Migri, said.
Most students usually come to Finland to study in one of the country's higher education institutions, The end up applying for a residence permit after enrollment.
