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The institutions and various stakeholders in our region provide support for companies regarding international recruitments. This website gathers opportunities available in our region that businesses can utilize when considering international recruitment or hiring a foreign expert or employee.
International recruitments present a significant opportunity to expand business operations and to bring new expertise and diversity into the organization.
Talent Coastline
The Talent Coastline ecosystem is a form of voluntary cooperation and partnership between stakeholders and companies, under which different actors develop Talent Boost actions and services in Ostrobothnia and Central Ostrobothnia. We work to support and promote international recruitment, internationalising work communities and diversifying activities so that the region and companies can remain viable now and in the future.
Talentcoastline.fi gives information about activities and services for companies and other employers, as well as international talents. The website offers information on current topics related to the field of international recruitment, events, and networking, and gathers ongoing projects that promote the recruitment of international workforce to Ostrobothnia and Central Ostrobothnia. Meetings between employers and competent workforce are developed by an amazing group of various actors – the entire Talent Coastline ecosystem! More information: talentcoastline [at] ely-keskus.fi
Read more: talentcoastline.fi
Work in Finland
Do you find it challenging to find skilled professionals in Finland? Could your company benefit from international talents? Would you like support with your international recruitment process? Diverse teams have a positive effect on the quality of working life as well as cooperation. Skilled international employees help make your employer image more attractive.
Read more: workinfinland.fi
Free advice service for all employers based in Finland
The Work in Finland International Recruitment Advice Service for Employers helps employers based in Finland with their questions about recruiting foreign labour. We provide you with up-to-date information about official processes, hiring foreign employees, residence permits and helping new employees to settle in Finland. You can ask us questions about hiring international talents who live abroad and international talents who are already based in Finland. No question is too small or too big for us. You can reach us by calling 0295 016 770 (weekdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.) or by sending an email to wif.neuvonta [at] keha-keskus.fi.
Read more: workinfinland.fi
Job Market Finland
You can publish a job advertisement easily on Job Market Finland website. By logging into the website, you can also browse job seekers’ profiles.
Read more: tyomarkkinatori.fi
Eures
The European Employment Services EURES matches employers and jobseekers within Europe (EU countries, Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Switzerland) by clarifying the recruitment process and thus supporting the mobility of the workforce. EURES Finland has a close cooperation with the EURES operators in other countries and an essential part of the work is the EURES portal, which can be used both by employers and jobseekers. It is possible to apply for funding to support the mobility. More information, contact the EURES Helpdesk by Telephone, Skype or Email : EURES Helpdesk
Vaasa:
The Vaasa International Talents programme matches motivated doers with your needs
Through Vaasa International Talents, companies and other working life actors can easily find resources representing a variety of degree programmes at the higher education institutions in Vaasa. Our programme attracts highly motivated international students, many of whom already have a university degree from their home countries and prior work experience. The students and graduates have been exclusively selected to the programme, which equips them with must-know facts about Finnish working life and what kind of expectations working life has on employees.
How can we join forces?
Make use of the low threshold to find your future colleague:
- Get to know an international talent by offering a possibility to job shadow during a work day
- Invite us for a study visit to your organization
- Engage a doer for thesis work, an internship or part-time work alongside the student’s studies – without any immigration related bureaucracy
Additional advantages for you
We who work with the Vaasa International Talents programme have vast experience of multicultural working communities and team work. Our tips and recommendations can ease the onboarding process into your working community.
Read more: novia.fi
Novia University of Applied Sciences:
Be part of creating a new model for collaboration between studies and working life!
Employers have the possibility to get things done for free by international students who are studying for an MBA in Digital Business and Management at Novia UAS. The collaboration is part of a project funded by the European Social Fund and the Swedish Cultural Foundation 1.1.2025 – 31.12.2026. Together with employers, we are testing various types of student assignments and internships, which in turn give employers a great opportunity to find potential future employees.
Read more: novia.fi
Vaasa University:
Specialists in economics and engineering for supported internships
An SME in the Vaasa region can receive an internship subsidy when taking an international student from the University of Vaasa for a paid internship for three months. The intern can offer your company new perspectives in areas such as sustainable business, industrial management, energy technology, and computer science. In addition to the knowledge gained from studies, they have valuable work experience from abroad.
More information on hiring an intern (in Finnish)
Reach university students and graduates through the JobTeaser portal
The JobTeaser portal makes it easy to announce vacancies, internships and thesis positions to students and graduates of the University of Vaasa. The portal is used by all universities in Finland and is actively used by students.
More information on how to advertise your work or internship offer
Get to know future experts through the West Coast Gateway programme
The University of Vaasa is preparing the West Coast Gateway programme which will be launched in autumn 2024. The programme will offer companies diverse opportunities to get to know international students and their expertise through mentoring, course collaboration and projects, for example. If you are interested in cooperation, please contact: Talent Hub Manager Hanna Turpeinen, hanna.turpeinen [at] uwasa.fi.
Support for international employees’ spouses
The Vaasa Spouse Programme helps spouses of international employees and students to settle in the region and thus supports companies in retaining talent. The programme provides spouses with a community and extracurricular activities and supports them in finding their own career in Finland. Through the career activities, companies can get to know the diverse expertise of talented spouses.
More information on Vaasa Spouse Programme
Recognition of qualifications and language courses
The SIMHE services of the University of Vaasa may help you with matters related to the identification and recognition of a person’s degree or qualification and prior learning. In addition, SIMHE services offer Finnish, Swedish & English courses open for immigrants.
More information on SIMHE services
Digital DEI tools for SMEs
The DEI4SME project develops open digital tools and educational materials to assist SMEs in promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). These tools will enable SMEs to plan, implement, and report measurable DEI activities in line with EU ESG requirements. Coordinated by the University of Vaasa, the EU-funded project aims to support the development of DEI skills among higher education graduates and help SMEs foster inclusive practices. The project will conclude in December 2026.
Visit project’s website and join the project
Vaasa Welcome Office
Newcomers in Finland, employers hiring internationals or organisations can get information, counselling, and guidance at Welcome Office on matters such as immigration and integration in Vaasa and Vörå. You can call, send e-mail, book an appointment or drop-in to the service in Vaasa at Tammipiha servicepoint, Teräksenkuja 1. For more information, contact details and booking an appointment, go to webpage vaasa.fi/welcomeoffice
VAMK:
VAMK Work – Discover the future talents
VAMK Work service is a digital meeting point for students and the working life at Vaasa University of Applied Sciences, making job posting and application processes more seamless. Through the electronic service, employers can announce open positions, internship opportunities, thesis topics, and smaller project works directly to students. Employers can also browse students’ skill profiles and directly contact potential talents if desired. Through the application, employers can collaborate effortlessly and simultaneously with several different educational institutions.
Read more and register as a partner with VAMK
Vaasa University of Applied Sciences Career Services
The goal of Career Services is to support students in career planning, strengthening job search skills, and identifying their own competence and personal strengths throughout their studies. We actively collaborate with local businesses through expert lectures, planned recruitment cooperation, and development of content for degree programs.
Read more about the activities of Career Services
Ready for Talents
Finland, and especially the Ostrobothnia region, needs more international workforce due to an aging population and growing talent shortage. Integrating international students and professionals into the local labor market—particularly in SMEs—is essential for regional competitiveness and vitality. Currently, many SMEs lack the capabilities for international recruitment, and international talents often remain unaware of employment opportunities in these companies.
The project aims to:
• Develop a mobile application to assess SMEs’ readiness for international recruitment and support for integration.
• Strengthen SMEs’ competencies in the different stages of international recruitment.
• Share knowledge and best practices through pilot companies (peer learning, events, podcasts, articles).
• Promote the employment of international talents in regional SMEs.
As a result, the project will create a permanent operational model, a training program, and a network to support SMEs in recruiting international talents. The project will end in August 2025.
Read more here.
Alumni Activities
The aim of alumni activities is to enhance the workplace relevance of Vaasa University of Applied Sciences and support the establishment of students’ connections to the working life. Through active alumni engagement, we provide a platform for our alumni to engage in multidisciplinary professional and social networking and develop their own professional skills.
Alumni can contribute to education by giving expert lectures, inviting student groups for study visits to their workplaces, offering internships, projects, and thesis topics to students, and serving as industry mentors. Our international alumni are an important and active part of our alumni community.
Read more about our alumni activities
Jakobstad:
City of Jakobstad:
Integration Services & The Service Point for Newcomers in Jakobstad region
Employers with international workforce/employees with foreign backgrounds are welcome to contact our Service Point for newcomers. We offer low-threshold advice and guidance to all immigrants, regardless of the reason for immigration, throughout the Jakobstad region. We have information points in Jakobstad, Nykarleby, and Kronoby. More information can be found here.
If you have questions about employment/work/education, you can also contact coordinator for immigrant employment: ida.strandberg@jakobstad.fi.
Integration Works
The goal of the Integration Works project (2024–2026) is, among other things, to more effectively match available workforce and labor needs in the Jakobstad region and to strengthen cooperation with the business community. The target groups of the project are employers, companies, and immigrants in the five municipalities of the Jakobstad region who are unemployed or available for work.
The project is funded by the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) and the municipalities in the Jakobstad region. The project manager and contact person is susann.gleisner [at] jakobstad.fi
Centria:
Cross-Cultural Career Catalyst is a mentoring project funded by the Ostrobothnian Regional Council (AKKE) to address the challenges of the Ostrobothnian labour market, especially in the Pietarsaari region. The two-year project aims to build bridges between local companies and international students in the form of mentor-mentee pairs. The mentoring programme is not about recruiting labour, but about introducing students to Finnish working life and culture in general, giving them a wider network and contacts, and lowering their barriers to staying and working in our region.
The mentoring programme trains experts from the working life to act as mentors and at the same time creates new links between the working life and the core activities of the UAS. The project will contribute to solving the challenge of finding skilled labour in the region and strengthen the link between working life and the education sector. By participating in the mentoring programme as a mentor, you will have the opportunity to develop your leadership and language skills, gain new perspectives and have the chance to contribute to a more inclusive society. Duration: 1.1.2024-31.12.2025.
Read more: net.centria.fi
In the InnoShare project, the goal is to investigate the possibilities of competence sharing, exploring how companies and organizations can share expertise with each other. The project will test this by having individuals exchange workplaces for a certain period of time. Networking events for companies and organizations in the Jakobstad region will be organized, focusing on the theme of sharing competence. Additionally, a “competence pool” and a prototype platform for sharing and finding expertise will be created. Duration: 1.1.2024-31.12.2025. The project is carried out by: Centria University of Applied Sciences and Nykarleby Innovation Center r.f.
Read more: www.innoshare.fi
The inclusive workplace
The Inclusive Workplace project is a way to solve the labor shortage of companies. Through the project, we want to support companies to include the international workforce in the workplace. People with different backgrounds should feel welcome and included in companies, enjoy their work and stay in the workplace. Leisure time and the well-being of the employee’s family are also important.
The goal is to work with a group of companies to find working methods and models that will eventually help a large group of companies in the Jakobstad region to develop into inclusive workplaces. Cooperation with companies will take place at different levels – information packages or broader cooperation on concrete tools and methods. Implementers: Centria-AMK, Bildningsalliansen rf and Kredu. Funding: European Social Fund (ESF+) and Svenska Kulturfonden. Project time: 1.1.2024-31.12.2025
Read more: net.centria.fi
Kokkola:
Welcome Office
Are you planning on employing or have you employed foreign workers in your company?
Welcome Office offers help e.g. with international recruitment, employee residence permits, settling in Kokkola and Central Ostrobothnia, everyday life and leisure time and organizing language courses in Finnish and Swedish. The service is free of charge for employers and personal customer.
Read more: mykokkola.fi
Centria UAS:
Employment and Career Services
Employment and Career Services works with businesses and communities. Through internships, student projects and degree projects, our students get a taste of the world of work. At the same time, companies and communities meet the future experts and potential employees.
– Recruiting an employee, trainee or international student
– Provide a topic for your thesis
– Offer project work
– Visit the campus
Contact us: urapalvelut [at] centria.fi
Talent Boost
Talent Boost is about attracting and retaining international talent in higher education and promoting education-based immigration and integration. Talent Boost activities focus in particular on employing and promoting the employment of international talents in Centria UAS’s area of operation, as well as on better meeting between companies and international talents. In line with the government programme, the Talent Boost programme period has been extended until 2027.
Read more: net.centria.fi
AIMlearning Project
In the project, young people under 29 years of age living in Central Ostrobothnia hone their skills related to artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, well-being, and sustainability. For businesses, the project provides an opportunity to network with international experts in our region. Companies can support the development and employment of young people by providing work-based exercises to the project. Implementation period: February 1, 2024, to January 31, 2027. The project is co-financed by the European Union.
Read more: net.centria.fi
Recruitment and employee satisfaction
Remote recruitment & well-being Strategy Canvas supports companies in recognizing remote work opportunities and to adapt the open positions in a way that is suitable for remote work. Canvas can also help when recruiting international talents. The Canvas acts as the starting point of the company’s remote (international) strategy that should be in line with overall strategy and goals.
DistanceLab offers support for enhancing the plan, introducing ideas, giving new perspectives and development points. After completing remote recruitment & well-being strategy Canvas, it is easier to start the practical actions towards the remote strategy.
Canvas can be done independently by uploading remote recruitment & well-being strategy Canvas and filling up details step by step utilizing guidelines provided in the Canvas. Or alternatively in a workshop setting; for sharing ideas and utilizing peer support. In the workshop each participant/company can fill up their own Canvas, but also discuss and share ideas with others. The material is available here: interreg-baltic.eu remote recruitment & well-being strategy Canvas. Should you be interested in workshop, please don’t hesitate to contact kirsi.palomaki [at] centria.fi by email to ask for more details or agree time for workshop.