Finland

Introduction and overview of the country

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhFxRN8Axow

Finland was a province and then a grand duchy under Sweden from the 12th to the 19th centuries, and an autonomous grand duchy of Russia after 1809. It gained complete independence in 1917. During World War II, Finland successfully defended its independence through cooperation with Germany and resisted subsequent invasions by the Soviet Union – albeit with some loss of territory. In the subsequent half century, Finland transformed from a farm/forest economy to a diversified modern industrial economy; per capita income is among the highest in Western Europe. A member of the EU since 1995, Finland was the only Nordic state to join the euro single currency at its initiation in January 1999. In the 21st century, the key features of Finland’s modern welfare state are high quality education, promotion of equality, and a national social welfare system – currently challenged by an aging population and the fluctuations of an export-driven economy.

In June, 2019, the Finnish job board and recruiting media Duunitori released their seventh annual National Recruitment Survey, or “Kansallinen rekrytointitutkimus” in Finnish. Duunitori surveyed 268 recruitment and HR professionals from companies of all sizes across Finland to take a deep dive into the current recruitment practices, trends, challenges, and priorities. And although the study is only focussed on Finland, its results can be applied to other countries as well, especially now, when recruitment is getting more and more international every day.

1. Recruitment numbers are increasing, but recruiting is getting harder

2. Motivation and cultural fit are the top priorities in recruitment

3. Mobile recruiting is on the rise

4. Are traditional recruitment platforms and channels becoming obsolete?

Thanks to the digital revolution, there’s a clear transition from old recruitment methods towards modern and more efficient tools. For example, according to the survey, recruiters no longer see a traditional CV as a necessary part of the hiring process. This is because your standard resume won’t tell the recruiter about the most interesting – the candidate’s personality and cultural fit. That’s why, instead of writing a conventional CV, many use their personal website, blog, videos, online portfolio, and social media pages to get a foot in the door. Speaking of social media – the use of social media channels like LinkedIn and Facebook for sourcing and recruiting is escalating too.

5. Recruitment systems are a commonplace

6. Employer branding and other trends

Over the years, the discussion around employer branding has grown bigger and louder, and many have realized the importance of a strong employer brand. This is reflected in the study results as well – many recruiters and TA’s have begun putting their time and money into developing and strengthening their employer brand.

In general, recruitment process in Finland would be:

1. Planing and Preparation

2. Identifying the jobs vacancy

3. Analyzing the job requirements

4. Publish recruitment information

5. Reviewing applications

6. Screening

7. Interview

Selection practices

Central provisions governing Finnish employment relationships are included in the Employment Contracts Act (55/2001), the Working Hours Act (605/1996) and the Annual Holidays Act (162/2005). The Act on Cooperation within Undertakings (334/2007) regulates employees’ collective rights to information and consultation. The Act on Protection of Privacy in Working Life (759/2004) and the Personal Data Act (523/1999) regulate employment-related data protection issues.

The main acts prohibiting both direct and indirect discrimination in employment relationships are the Act on Equality between Women and Men (609/1986), the Non-discrimination Act (1325/2014), the Employment Contracts Act and the Penal Code (39/1889). Further, the Occupational Safety and Health Act (738/2002) places a duty on the employer to take care of the health and safety of employees while at work by taking the necessary measures.

Further, sector and company-specific collective bargaining agreements regulate Finnish working life.

European Union (EU) legislation is usually implemented in Finland through national legislation.

As well as legislation and employment contracts, certain legal principles, case law, legal preparatory works, (established) company practices and internal rules also govern employment relationships.

In conclusion, the selection process in Finland are usually as following:

• Receving applications
• Screening applications.
• Candidate interviews.
• Verifications and references.
• Final selection.
• Making a job offer.

Miscellaneous information

Regulation of the employment relationship

1.Written employment contract

A written employment contract is not required in Finland. However, the employer must provide the employee with a written statement of the key employment terms by the end of the employee’s first salary period detailing, among other things:

Although employment contracts need not take any specific form, it is customary to have written employment contracts in Finland.

The guiding principle of the employment legislation is protecting the employee, which includes absolute legal provisions that cannot be departed from if that departure would be detrimental to the employee. These include, among other things, protection against dismissal, maximum working hours and annual holiday.

Collective agreements, negotiated between trade unions and employers’ organizations for a particular trade or industry, play a central role in the Finnish labour market system. The main distinguishing feature of employment law is therefore the prevalence of collectively agreed terms and conditions of employment.

An employer that is a member of an employer organisation party to a collective agreement must apply the provisions of the collective agreement to the employment relationships of all of its employees. Certain collective agreements can also be declared generally applicable, provided that the agreements are considered representative in the specific sector in question. These collective agreements must be applied as minimum conditions of employment to all employment relationships in the sector concerned.

Job Sites in Finland to get Job Opportunities in Finland (Updated 2019)

Fun fact:

There is no universal minimum wage in Finland. In most branches the collective agreement determines the pay and other minimum employment terms.

Bibliography

Anon 2020. Finland. Wikipedia. [Online]. [Accessed 21 October 2020]. Available from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finland.

Kelly, J. 2020. Finland Prime Minister’s Aspirational Goal Of A Six-Hour, Four-Day Workweek: Will It Ever Happen? Forbes. [Online]. [Accessed 21 October 2020]. Available from: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackkelly/2020/01/08/finlands-prime-ministers-aspirational-goal-of-a-six-hour-four-day-workweek-will-this-ever-happen/.

Anon, 2018. The World Factbook: Finland. Central Intelligence Agency. Available at: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/fi.html

Anon, 2020. Top HR Services in Finland – 2020 Reviews. Top HR Services in Finland – 2020 Reviews | Clutch.co. Available at: https://clutch.co/fi/hr .

Havia, S. & Koskela, I., 2020. Practical Law. Practical Law UK Signon. Available at: https://uk.practicallaw.thomsonreuters.com/6-503-3587?transitionType=Default .

Knaapila, S., 2019. Managing the Employment Relationship in Finland. SHRM. Available at: https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/legal-and-compliance/employment-law/pages/employment-relationship-in-finland.aspx .

lyhyesti, S., 2020. Finland in brief. InfoFinland. Available at: https://www.infofinland.fi/en/information-about-finland/basic-information-about-finland/finland-in-brief .

Tuleutayeva, S., 2019. The State of Recruitment in Finland 2019. RecRight Blog – Recruitment in 21st century. Available at: https://blog.recright.com/the-state-of-recruitment-in-finland-2019.

Yaioa, 2019. 12 Job Sites in Finland to get Job Opportunities in Finland (Updated 2019). Yaioa Blog. Available at: https://www.yaioa.com/blog/job-sites-in-finland/