Finland is undoubtedly an excellent place to live and work, a country that offers a high level of quality of life, a work-life balance, and a wide range of services. Aside from those, Finland ranks top among several world indicators, such as the happiest, freest, safest, and most stable country globally.
If you’re looking for a job in Finland, you can check out in-demand jobs in 2023. Finnish recruitment agencies report that manufacturing, construction, health care, education, information technology, and agriculture sectors hold the most popular occupations in 2023.
Are you starting your job hunt now? This article will enumerate the top in-demand jobs in Finland in 2023. Looking at these jobs first may increase your chances of landing an offer. Aside from that, we will also discuss foreigner-friendly jobs that you may find in the country.
If you want to learn how much you will earn in Finland, read our guide on salaries.
Top in-demand jobs and professions in Finland
If you are searching for a job in Finland, you should look at the sectors with the most open vacancies. This means that there is more demand than supply; hence, you stand a good chance of getting a job.
Currently, the most open jobs are in the public sector, construction, and customer service. Here are the top industries and sectors with a large number of job listings:
- Public sector and organizations
- Construction
- Customer service
- Healthcare industry
- Installation, maintenance, and cleaning
- Industry and technology
- Social and care sector
- Sales and trade
- Restaurant and tourism
- Student jobs
Regarding the shortage occupations, Finland points out a high demand for programmers and application developers.
Here are the top occupations with shortage in Finland, and they are currently looking for applicants who can fill in these positions:
- Automechanic
- Business Consultant
- Accountant
- Kindergarten Teacher
- General Practitioner
- Technological Engineer
- Electrical Engineer
- Speech Therapist
- Nurse
- Programmer
YLE News says that employers in Finland are having a hard time finding workers.
There is a prolonged labour shortage in Finland’s service sector, with employers reporting there aren’t enough job seekers or their skills aren’t suitable.
It was announced in April that the number of sectors suffering from labour shortages has risen to pre-Covid pandemic levels. New industries added to the list are the restaurant industry and construction industry.
In the worst stages of the Covid pandemic, Finnish employment services received approximately 1,200 job notifications per month, but by 2022 that number had risen to 3,200.
As a whole, the service industry is struggling to find workers. However, the restaurant industry suffers the most, with a staff shortage described as “severe.”
Further evidence was found in a statement released by Finnish retail and services cooperative S-Group, which declared it was closing a dozen of its restaurants in the capital region due to staff shortages.
Meanwhile, a report published in May by Finnish employers’ groups found that half of the surveyed service companies had difficulty recruiting new workers.
Given the manpower shortage in Finland, foreigners now have higher chances of getting employed in the country.
Apart from the occupations in shortage, there are in-demand jobs in Finland. The number of vacancies for these positions goes over thousands. Thus, you have a higher chance of getting accepted if you have the appropriate skills.
Top in-demand jobs in Finland in 2023
1. Healthcare Assistants
Number of job vacancies: 6,429
Minimum requirements: Graduate of an Accredited Medical Assistant program; Excellent customer service skills; An understanding of medical and clinic settings; Shall be able to read, write, and speak English well enough to communicate with patients and other staff members effectively.
In NHS hospitals or community settings, Healthcare Assistants (HCAs) work under the guidance of various healthcare professionals. Depending on the field of work, the nature of the job will vary.
As an example, an HCA might work alongside nurses in hospitals or midwives in maternity services, mental health clinics, or general practices (GPs).
Healthcare Assistant duties and responsibilities:
- Taking temperature, heart rate, respiration, and weight measurements and monitoring patients’ conditions
- Keeping in touch with patients, relatives, and caregivers
- Providing clinical assistance
- Assuring overall comfort, safety, and preventing infection are all part of personal care.
- Assisting patients in achieving a healthy mental, physical, and nutritional state
- Purchasing supplies and checking them
2. Shop Sales Assistants
Number of job vacancies: 4,239
Minimum requirements: High school degree; Written and verbal communication skills; Computer data entry skills; Customer service and people skills; Critical thinking; Selling skills; Organizational skills; Computer literacy (Source: Monster).
In addition to greeting customers and managing cash registers, Sales Assistants can also assist customers with finding anything they need within the store. Whether a customer is interested in apparel, shoes, or cosmetics, the Sales Assistant will be able to assist them.
Sales Assistant duties and responsibilities:
- Provide excellent customer service to ensure high levels of customer satisfaction
- Establish and maintain outstanding standards for store condition and visual merchandising
- Maintain a well-stocked store
- Determine the needs and wants of customers
- Provide recommendations and display items that meet customer needs
- Greeting customers and welcoming them
- Manage the point-of-sale process
- Ensure that new shipments are received actively
- Be the first to know about new products
- Provide an accurate description of the features and benefits of the product
- Maintain compliance with all policies and procedures of the company
3. Cleaners and Helpers
Number of job vacancies: 3,618
Minimum requirements: Legal age, high school graduate, and preferably with prior custodian experience.
In hotels, offices, homes, and other public places, cleaners or custodians keep things tidy and organized. They sweep, mop, vacuum, dust countertops, ceilings, and furniture, and sanitize bathrooms, kitchens, and other public areas.
Cleaner duties and responsibilities:
In addition to dusting, mopping, sweeping, waxing floors, and vacuuming, cleaners perform a range of duties to maintain the cleanliness of business establishments or homes. Additionally, they inspect restrooms to ensure that they are always sanitary.
Furthermore, a cleaner is also responsible for:
- Keeping business establishments and homes clean by coordinating with other cleaners
- Immediately clean spills, broken glass, and other messes
- Performing cleaning maintenance activities (e.g., maintaining cleaning machinery).
- Supply refills, such as toilet paper and paper towels
- Purchasing new cleaning supplies as needed
4. Nurses
Number of job vacancies: 3,568
Minimum requirements: Nursing graduate, licensed, proficiency level of Finnish language.
A nurse’s primary responsibility is to provide care to patients by managing physical needs, preventing illness, and treating health issues. This requires nurses to observe and monitor patients as well as record any relevant information to aid in treatment decisions.
Nurse duties and responsibilities:
- Nursing involves caring for injuries, administering medications, examining patients frequently, and keeping detailed records of health information
- Perform diagnostic tests and monitor heart rate and blood pressure
- Operating medical equipment
- Draw blood for patients and admit/discharge them as instructed by their physicians.
- Additionally, nurses change bandages and ensure the comfort of patients
- Document patient activities, inform other nurses or doctors of changes in a patient’s condition, and assume other relevant tasks.
5. Kitchen Helpers
Number of job vacancies: 2,969
Minimum requirements: Have work experience a minimum of two years in a professional kitchen, but if you have a work permit in Finland, it’s probably not necessary.
In kitchens, restaurants, clubs, fast food outlets, and catering companies, a kitchen helper cleans and sanitizes kitchen equipment, prepares basic meals, and receives and stores products.
In addition to having a general knowledge of the general kitchen operations, they also know how to store food properly. Working in this position allows kitchen helpers to learn about kitchen and restaurant operations as well as work with chefs and learn from them.
Kitchen Helper duties and responsibilities:
- Providing basic food preparation assistance
- Maintain a clean kitchen
- Clean the dishwasher after loading and unloading it
- Make sure pots and pans are clean
- Keeping food storage and preparation areas clean
- Receiving and storing goods
6. Freight Handlers
Number of job vacancies: 2,453
Minimum requirements: Knowledge of supply chain and logistics (Source: Indeed)
Freight handlers handle bulk shipping items, such as raw materials or finished products, as well as the transportation of freight. The shipments may be transported by vehicle, train, ship, airplane, or a combination of these means.
Through the various stages of transportation, freight handlers move freight onto transport vehicles and into storage facilities.
The transportation industry, such as airlines and shipping companies, employs a large number of freight handlers. Retailers and wholesalers may also hire these professionals to work in warehouses.
Freight Handler duties and responsibilities:
- Load shipments onto trucks, containers, or other transportation vehicles
- Make sure shipments are secured during transportation to prevent shifting
- Label shipments clearly with their destination information
- Ensure that shipments are unloaded into designated storage areas
- Manually move items or use special equipment, such as forklifts and pallets, to do so
- Check the status of shipments to make sure they arrive on time
- Maintain detailed records of shipments using an inventory system
- Maintain facility storage systems and sort and organize freight
- Ensure truck drivers arrive at loading docks in a timely manner
- Make sure that shipments are inspected upon arrival, in storage, and for dispatch
- Move freight and handle equipment in accordance with safety policies and regulations
7. Waiters
Number of job vacancies: 2,307
Minimum requirements: Understanding of the Finnish language
A waiter or waitress serves food and drinks in a restaurant, bar, hotel, or similar establishment. Their stellar customer service ensures guests have a great dining experience.
In addition to greeting guests and taking meal orders, they also ensure that communication between the dining area and the kitchen is smooth.
Waiter duties and responsibilities:
- Greeting and escorting customers to their tables
- Give detailed information about the menu (such as portions, ingredients, or potential food allergies) when asked
- Set up tables with linens, silverware, and glasses
- Upon request, provide menu recommendations
- Ordering and serving food and drinks
- Collect payments for bills and deliver checks
In-demand jobs in Helsinki
Apart from the below-mentioned professions, other jobs in high demand in Helsinki, Finland, include:
- Travel consultants and clerks
- Hotel receptionists
- Travel attendants and travel stewards
- Technicians
- Tailors
- Product designers
- Graphic designers
- University teachers
- Marketing jobs
- Librarians
- Journalists among others
Best jobs in Finland for foreigners
If you’re a foreigner considering moving to Finland, you should know that the country has a population of 5.5 million. With a population of this size, the workforce is already small. Among that small workforce, 39% are over 65.
In order to curb this, the Finnish government has decided to double the number of immigrants every year, especially in order to maintain government services.
Foreigners have an easier time getting these jobs/roles in Finland. It may be because some of these jobs do not have constant contact with locals, the jobs are highly skilled, or the industry is understaffed.
Here’s the list of the 20 best jobs in Finland for foreigners:
1. Mobile Developers
2. Project managers
3. UX Designer
4. Civil Engineer
5. Software Engineer
6. Cooks
7. Home-based personal cleaners
8. Nursing associate professionals
9. Health care assistants
10. Shop and sales assistants
11. Child care workers
12. Hardware engineers
13. Accountants
14. Account managers
15. Product managers
16. Data scientist
17. Copywriters
18. QA Engineers
19. Cashiers
20. Web designers
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