[ad_1]
The country is taking new paths to attract experience. – Good idea also for Norway, experts believe.
A woman pushes a kick on a frozen lake, near Lahti in Finland. The country has more than 55,000 lakes of at least 10 acres or more. Photo: Kai Pfaffenbach, Reuters
– We know that we are not at the top of the list of countries that people are thinking of moving to, says Johanna Huurre from Helsinki Business Hub to The Guardian.
– But when people arrive, we see that many will stay.
Thus came the idea for a new concept, where people with IT skills can apply. Those selected can take their family with them and can “try the stay” in Finland for 90 days. The authorities arrange the papers, the house, the school and the kindergarten. Those selected are also presented to local IT companies and introduced to people in the industry.
After three months, they will receive help applying for permanent residence if they so wish.
“Since there is such great competition for talent globally, we had to think creatively,” Huurre told the British newspaper.
The deadline for submitting applications has now ended and more than 5,300 applications have been received. Most say they will work from home in their current position during their stay in Finland. Among the applicants, there are also 800 entrepreneurs who want to start their own business and various job seekers. Americans and Canadians are the largest groups.
Author and sociologist Sanna Sarromaa. Photo: Stig B. Hansen
Sociologist: – It could also work for Norway
Finland currently has the highest number of digital start-ups in the world per capita. habitant. The country, among other things, has provided the world with SMS messages, the 5G network and the Linux operating system.
– Norway is not a tech giant like Finland, says Finnish Sanna Sarromaa.
She is a history professor, sociologist, author, and Lillehammer resident. That is why he knows both countries well.
– Norway is best known for oil. So maybe Finland is something more interesting for the people of Silicon Valley. But there are also many interesting startups in Norway, says Sarromaa, who therefore believes that such a scheme could have worked for Norway as well.
It refers to the 1970s when the oil industry was established in Norway and the country needed a supply of expertise in the same way.
– Therefore, I think that people in Norway will be positive about such a scheme. I generally believe that immigrants build the country, says Sarromaa.
He was expelled from Finland
The sociologist believes that the Finnish initiative should also be seen in the context of a single story that has received a lot of attention in Finland recently.
Before Christmas, the American entrepreneur and businesswoman Caterina Fake was expelled from the country because she was not allowed to extend her residence permit.
Fake has founded the photo-sharing service Flickr, spoke at the World Economic Forum in Davos with Bill Gates, and has a Finnish girlfriend.
“The people of Finland have found it crazy to send such competent people back to the United States,” says Sarromaa.
Caterina Fake is on Times magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people in the world. Photo: Pascal Lauener, Reuters / NTB
Øyvind Husby, CEO of ICT-Norway. Photo: ICT-Norway
The information technology industry: – Needed also in Norway
But is such a measure necessary in Norway? The answer is yes, according to the industrial organization ICT-Norway.
– We like to say “Look at Finland,” says CEO Øyvind Husby.
He believes that Norway is today “almost exhausted” when it comes to ICT expertise, and that this slows the Norwegian economy. There is a particular lack of people with knowledge of ICT security, machine learning and data analytics, Husby believes.
– There is no single measure that can solve the situation. Among other things, we need more places of study and continuing and additional education from the workforce that we have. But also, we would like to attract talent from abroad.
Sylo Taraku is an advisor at Tankesmien Agenda Photo: Erlend Daae, NTB
– It could have been a positive scheme
In Norway, it is possible to apply for a work and residence permit if you are a specialist and have a specific skill that the country needs. But the prerequisite is usually that you already have a job offer.
– Norway does not have a system like the US and Canada, where they actively facilitate the immigration of people with high competition, says Sylo Taraku.
He is an advisor to Tankesmien Agenda and has written several books on immigration.
– Norway may not have been so good in this area. Maybe you think that the scheme we have already addresses the needs of the country?
Taraku says he sees nothing in the way Norway could do the same as Finland, and believes this will not be a plan to the detriment of other groups.
– I have heard many complaints about the paper mill if you come to Norway today as a specialist, he says.
Has few deaths per crown
Applicants to the new Finnish program are also asked what attracts them to Finland. Answers include free medical care, generous maternity leave, closeness to nature, and the authorities’ handling of the corona pandemic.
Finland currently has 95 deaths per one million inhabitants, according to Worldometers, while Norway has 77.
The people of Finland have also been named the happiest in the world for several years in a row.
Aftenposten has asked the Ministry of Commerce and Industry for their views on the plan, but did not receive a response on Saturday afternoon.
