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| the vast sky that sparked hope from my old office at dinner break |
I thought about this since I'm moving to Finland and of course I'm aware of its high and persistent unemployment rate... Yes, I used to think this move is suicide.
But hey, unemployment is caused by many factors. Some people on Reddit said "lack of jobs" is a misinterpretation, low-skilled jobs are plenty, it's just that very few immigrants meet the language requirements. More hope for a language grad like me.
However, I believe the competition for high-skilled jobs, such as in IT, is truly fierce. Even Finns struggle to land one, as the news report. Perhaps it's because outsourcing to Asia is much cheaper. I'm not sure. En ole varmasti.
Luckily, this post is not written to investigate causes of high unemployment rate in Finland but to discuss some existing foreign income sources I notice in Finland, as pumping more from them may bring more jobs:
1. Serve immigrants
Immigrants bring their life savings to spend in on Finland. (Legal) immigrants are brave investors, who pay nearly two-month salary to apply for a residence permit, another sum on flight ticket, then rent, and plenty of necessities to start a new life.
Compared to average Finns, immigrants are usually low-income people but they do have enough funds to carry out their plan; Migri checked their financial status and allowed them to enter Finland. They may not be a gold mine but they could be a... flourishing lettuce pot which supplies little but sufficiently to your meals if you don't eat much. (i'm terrible at making metaphors)
Provide these courageous investors with wise options and they'll be more than happy to help sustain your business.
2. Serve vacationers
Tourism is undoubtedly among the most profitable sectors in any country. In this field, there is no need to discriminate nationalities. There are mega rich people in poor countries and there are dirt poor people in rich countries. Your next client can come from anywhere. Have you ever tried "low-range" markets? Such as Vietnam? It's a developing country with an average month salary of 320 usd but there are the well-off who live in a different dimension, consume luxuries, and travel to the most expensive destinations in the world at least twice a year.
Finland has successfully builded "The Happy Country" brand and preserved a pristine nature. I see so much potential in Finnish tourism.
But sure, mass tourism wouldn't work here because it'd very likely damage the environment, which I know is absolutely intolerable to Finns. Intolerable to me too.
3. Serve environmental NGOs and governments in developing countries
I heard that tech transfer costs billions. *cha-ching*
Again, Finland is in the perfect position to sell green technologies. Finland has a power plant that uses only recycled waste to produce heat and electricity in Lahti (the city I'm moving to!!). It's impressive. Finland is also constructing world's first deep geological repository in Onkalo for radioactive waste from nuclear plants.
Tbh, one of the things I look forward to learn when moving to Finland is separating trash. lol. My government has made many attempts ever since I was in primary school to reduce waste and recycle but the campaigns never went anywhere. New trash bins with "organic" and "inorganic" labels were introduced but people kept mixing them up. Eventually, they were all dumped in one place. *sigh*
Did these ideas excite the entrepreneur in you?
If you need a hand to realize your idea, please consider hiring me. I'd love to help Finnish businesses expand beyond Finnish borders. I imagine that's the best way an immigrant can contribute to Finnish economy and society.
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