An aging Finland, with difficulties in hiring due to the war and with unemployment close to 11%, sees the technology sector growing. He is happy, but he would be grateful to receive the “joy” of Brazilians.
If all Brazilians living in Finland got together, they wouldn’t even fill a single stand in a football stadium. There are 2611 people, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. But, in a few years, maybe they will fill the stadium.
The Finnish government says that the country’s companies intend to hire 140 thousand workers by 2035 for the technology area and Brazilians are among the main targets of these vacancies, along with Indians and Vietnamese.
To this end, Finland intends to speed up the granting of visas, reducing the issuance period to up to two weeks (if the foreigner has a job offer) and is negotiating a bilateral social security agreement with Brazil. In practice, this would allow Brazilians working in Finland to maintain their right to retirement in Brazil if they decide to return.
Why Finland is looking for Brazilians
The expectation of filling 140 thousand vacancies is based on two profound changes in the Finnish labor market.
The first is the growth of the technology sector in the country, with the emergence of startups linked to recently graduated researchers and also companies looking for an alternative to the high cost of operating in other parts of Europe.
The second is the difficulty hiring and retaining workers from Russia and Ukraine (who were an important part of the foreign workforce in Finland) due to what has been going on for four years and has no end in sight.
Laura Lindemann, director of Work in Finland, a government organization dedicated to promoting the Finnish market and attracting foreigners, says this, explaining why Brazilians are now in demand.
“We evaluate different countries from the perspective of Finnish companies and internationalization — where they are, where they export or want to export — and also where there is a large supply of professionals,” says Lindemann. “It was also taken into account the fact that Finland was already present in the country, with a Business Finland office, an embassy, i.e. There is no need to start everything from scratch. Connections between Finland and Brazil already exist.”
But there is still a third factor — perhaps the most important: the Finland depends on immigration to avoid population shrinkage, says the executive, relying on data from Statistics Finland, equivalent to INE in Portugal.
Today, nine out of ten Finnish municipalities register more deaths than births.
“Finland is aging, and there cannot be a strangulation of the country’s growth due to lack of talent”, says Lindemann. “We estimate that, in the coming years, 1 million Finns will retire. That’s a huge number for a country with just under 6 million inhabitants.”
The most sought after areas and profiles
There are currently almost 800 vacancies, according to Work in Finland. The institution brings together most of the opportunities on its portal, but there are positions only advertised on company websites, so interested parties should broaden their search.
The opportunities cover training in various areas, according to Lindemann. “All areas of natural sciences are necessary — mathematics, physics, chemistry — because they are important for the deep tech sector, which concentrates new businesses in Finland.”
“Deep tech means that there is research and, from this, innovations emerge that are commercialized. Artificial intelligence, quantum computing, semiconductors, microchips, technology applied to health — we are talking about this field”, says the executive. “Companies like IQM, Bluefors and SemiQon work in this and are expanding quickly.”
It is therefore necessary to be interested in research. In the country, in fact, researchers who are undertaking a doctorate are treated as professionals and, for the most part, are university employees.
“Our universities and companies work in close proximity, and the public sector also works closely with them, financing the research and development of these ecosystems”, says Lindemann, who adds that the software development sector, although also valued, is undergoing profound transformation due to the advancement of artificial intelligence.
“Therefore, in this area, it is not enough to just have basic skills. You need to have something more”, he points out.
All positions require mastery of English. To obtain a work visa, there is no requirement for a standardized minimum level of proficiency, as is the case in the United Kingdom, for example. But you need to know how to communicate fluently.
Lindemann says that Finnish and Swedish — the country’s official languages, depending on the region — are important differentiating factors, but not mandatory.
It is expected, however, that the professional will be interested in learning at least Finnish after moving, especially if they are interested in taking on leadership roles in the future.
Lack of labor, unemployment on the rise
Finland faces a unemployment rate of almost 11%much higher than that of Brazil. Lindemann says that many of the unemployed cannot be hired for open positions because they do not meet the requirements.
With the aging of the population, he explains, many do not have training in more contemporary areas, such as quantum computing, currently among the most dynamic in the country.
“Employers first need to check whether there is talent available in Finland or the European Union. Only if they can’t find anyone can they hire from outside,” says Lindemann. “But when it comes to researchers, there are no such restrictions, because these companies essentially depend on international talent. They need the best in the world in their fields.”
He considers that foreign workers, with skills different from those available locally, can help the country overcome these challenges.
“Especially in a situation like this, with high unemployment, we need growth — and that’s why we need the best talent to generate it,” says the executive.
The benefits of working in Finland
Finland does not expect Brazilians to leave their country without giving anything in return, explains the director of Work in Finland.
Lindemann lists some differences between the two countries with regard to the job market which, in his opinion, provide a healthier balance between personal and professional life.
Starting with the working day, generally 37.5 hours per weekagainst Brazil’s 44.
There are still between 25 and 30 working days of vacationand not 30 days in a row — which, in practice, means more rest.
But perhaps the biggest difference is in the parental leave. For mothers, it is around ten and a half months, compared to four months in Brazil; for parents, it is around five months, compared to the current five working days in Brazil — recently extended to 10 days from 2027 and progressively increased until reaching 20 days from 2029.
Why is Finland the happiest country in the world?
It is not uncommon to see a Brazilian surprised to discover that Finland is at the top of the ranking of the happiest countries in the world, while Brazil, so associated with joy, currently occupies 32nd position.
It is important, says the director of Work in Finland, to know what to expect from the country before deciding to move there. It is a cold place, where temperatures can reach -20 °C, and, in winter, the night can last almost the entire day.
This happens because the happiness ranking is based on a single question, in which respondents evaluate their lives with scores from zero to ten. They are asked to imagine a ladder, in which the top represents the best possible life, and the bottom represents the worst. Then, they answer what step they consider themselves to be on today.
Questions are also asked about freedom and emotions, which are not used to rank countries, but to understand why each one occupies a certain position and what drives their score up or down.
Therefore, this is not a survey that asks whether someone feels happy or smiles frequently, but rather something that seeks to assess quality of life. In general, around a thousand people are interviewed per country every year.
“One of the reasons why Brazilians should move to Finland is the joy it could bring, in addition to Finnish happiness”, says Lindemann.
“We also have joy, but it would be positive to have this type of attitude towards life that Brazilians have. It would be a perfect combination.”
