Tag: Immigration to Finland

Whose fault is high immigrant unemployment in Finland?

Posted on by Migrant Tales

 

Even though Finland has been generous about investing on language- and culture-training course for immigrants, one should rightfully ask if the money is being spent effectively. Why is there still high unemployment among immigrants in Finland if we are spending hefty sums of tax-payers money on these types of courses?

While high unemployment (well over 20%) among the immigrant community in Finland is due on a myriad of factors, would the money be better spent if the government launched a campaign to lower those walls of suspicion that exist between the Finns and immigrants?

Shouldn’t the government be investing its precious time and money on how to make Finland a truly equal opportunity country that views immigrants and diversity as a positive matter?

In my opinion, the problem of high immigrant unemployment is attributable to the chicken-and-egg syndrome. On the one hand you are required to learn sufficient language and culture skills that will never be obtained in a classroom environment. The only way to learn such skills is through employment.

Even though Finnish legislation offers protection and encourages cultural diversity, we are in danger of falling into the trap of status-quo inactivity. The issue and the social problems that arise from high unemployment will not be solved by sweeping them under the rug with the help of  social welfare programs.

Moreover, too many in Finland, I fear, would not care less. They argue that since unemployment is about 7% nationally, immigrants should passively accept double-digit jobless rates.

High immigrant unemployment is not the failure of any particular group but falls on our society as a whole. We will continue to fail dismally in the task of integrating newcomers as long as we do not find ways to bring immigrant unemployment near national levels.

This, I believe, is where the government’s money and time should be invested.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Immigration does and must work for Finland

Posted on by Migrant Tales

Some of the bloggers who visit this site believe that multiculturalism in a demographic sense is a failed project. Just because immigration has been a part of humanity since the dawn of time, some insist that a country with lots of immigrants become  failed states. As examples they use countries such as the former Yugoslavia, Rwanda and others to drive home their argument.

It would be important to point out that while the former Yugoslavia ended up in ethnic civil war, the outlandish conflict was not brought on by immigrants that moved their. The civil war was created by the inhabitants of that country.

Moreover, if one wants to look at how people can be taught to function successfully  in a new society, one has only to look at North and South America, Even though everyone knows about countries such as Canada and the United States, we hear very little about nations such as Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay.

Even though Argentina has had a violent history, the immigrants that moved there in the early twentieth century comprised as much as 49.4% of the population of Buenos Aires. In Uruguay, there were also high number of immigrants in relation to the total population. Brazil also promoted European immigration to help “whiten” the population from the high amount of blacks.

Even though Uruguay had a high number of immigrants, which totalled about 30% of the population by 1900, the country became one of the first welfare states in the world in the 1910s. It even adopted a secular constitution in 1919.

How is it possible that a country like Uruguay with such a high amount of immigrants could have built one of the most successful societies in the world in the beginning of the last century?

Immigration was also a driving force in Argentina that transformed the country. However, the failure of the country to become a successful nation in the same league as Canada and Australia is not due to immigration but the political and economic system.

And then there is Brazil, the giant of Latin America. Brazil also attracted large flows of immigrants in the end of the nineteenth and early twentieth century. If one looks at the country, it is a mosaic of people from different ethnic and cultural background. Even so, Brazil never suffered civil wars nor ruinous political infighting that characterized many newly independent Spanish-American countries.

Yes, there are many examples of countries that have succeeded in turning immigration into a force of progress.

Those countries that do not understand the strengths and richness of diversity will be doomed to geriatric wards and economic hardships too painful to describe in words.

First demonstrations by foreigners in Finland

Posted on by Migrant Tales

Until lions have their historians, tales of  the hunt  shall always glorify the hunters.

African Proverb

When was the first time that immigrants demonstrated for greater rights in Finland? Two major demonstrations by non-Finns took place in 1974 and 1982. The first one was by some 50 Pakistanis who marched from Turku to Helsinki because they were going to be deported by the authorities after they came with expectations of finding work in Finland.

Eila Kännö (1921-2009), the cantankerous Aliens’ Office head during 1970-84,  was a state within a state. An interesting matter to investigate would be the relationship her office had with Pakistani honorary consul, Arne Roiha. In order for Pakistanis to get a residence and work permit in Finland, they had to get the green light from Roiha, who ran and employed Pakistanis at three restaurants in Helsinki: Kaisaniemi, Ässäpata and Klippan. Roiha fled to Florida from Finland due to problems with the Finnish tax authorities.

The second demonstration, which took place on October 19, 1982, was the largest march to ever take place in Finland. Some 300 foreigners and Finns marched from Helsinki University Porthania Hall to the Eduskunta (parliament).

The march, which was the top story on the 8:30 news, received wide attention by the Finnish media. A day before the demonstration, former Aliens’ Office head Eila Kännö had vowed to throw in jail the foreigners who had organized the march. The march was organized by the Helsinki Students’ Union (HYY). In Finland, foreigners did not have at the time rights to organize demonstrations.

foreignersmarching

The caption reads: Historic in Finland – foreigners dare to demand greater rights. This march took place on October 19, 1982. Published by Kansan Uutiset Viikolehti.


The building of Finnish national identity within a multicultural society

Posted on by Migrant Tales

One of the matters that some Finns who read the many comments in this blog should try to understand is that cultural diversity or multiculturalism should not be perceived as a threat but as an opportunity.

For some Finns, who see foreigners as a threat to our culture, this fear can be best explained through two historical factors: 1) Finns are still building a national identity since independence in 1917 from Russia; and 2) the Winter and Continuous War that put in grave jeopardy that identity- and nation-building process.

Finns have gone to great lengths to forge a sense of national identity. In the 1920s, for example, Finns were encouraged to change their “foreign” surnames for Finnish ones.

It may seem odd, however, to some that even to this date the process of building a national identity appears to be as strong and as imperative as it was after 1917. Even so, facts like globalization, European Union membership, and the fact that more foreigners living in Finland of diverse backgrounds, have brought in question how we define Finns and how foreigners should be perceived within that national identity-building process.

Since mutual respect is one of the golden rules of living in a successful society that has diverse backgrounds, it has to be a two-way street. Finns have a right to be Finns and be proud of their identity in the same way as other groups that may not fit the general definition of what is a Finn have the right to be proud of their heritage. It is a healthy matter that cultures can grow together in synergy and retain a sense of “us” and “them.” The strong healthy sense of “us” should not mean excluding others from being a part of this society.

What is pathological, however, is discrimination, racism and the lack of respect for other cultures. That is something unacceptable in any society, especially in a country such as Finland.

Why is it unacceptable? Because it runs against our sense of justice and undermines those very values that keep our society from falling into a state of moral disarray.

What does Obama’s victory mean for Finland?

Posted on by Migrant Tales

I have a dream that my four little children

will one day live in a nation where they will

not be judged by the color of their skin but

by the content of their character.

Martin Luther King

One of the surprising matters of the US presidential elections was not that a black American was elected to the highest office of the land, but the way Barak Obama conducted his campaign and won convincingly. But as the fanfare dies and life returns back to normal, there are a number of important challenges that the US’ 44th president will have to tackle: Iraq and the global financial crisis.

What does Obama’s victory mean for Finland? I believe it sends a strong message of hope that people of different backgrounds have the right and can aspire to change unacceptable matters such as discrimination.

That is why I hope that the Obama effect rubs off those Finns who still believe that racism and insulting people of different backgrounds is acceptable. The day will dawn on Finland when some Finns will no longer judge people because of their color or national background but for their character.

A futuristic solution to the integration of foreigners in Finland

Posted on by Migrant Tales

Owing to the recalcitrant attitude of some readers of this blog that foreigners are a threat to Finland and that they should throw away their culture and embrace Finnish ways and life, for them I would like to propose a futuristic model of integration.

Finnish technology firms should start thinking about investing time in building the “language-and-culture chip” that can be implanted in a person’s brain and resolve all those sticky cultural and language issues.

With the help of this  chip, which he can switch on and off at will, can be purchased for an extra cost to fit your specific regional language needs (Helsinki, Turku slang or Rauma dialect) wherever and whenever you want. You do not need to take those boring language courses because the chip will help you speak Finnish in a jiffy.

But perfectly fluent Finnish in regional variations is not enough without the culture adapter.It works like any electric adapter at an extra-extra price, giving you cultural spice and meaning to your Finnish language. You will know exactly when to laugh, cry, smile or simply shut up with the help of the adapter.

Who said that learning and acting Finnish is difficult! With the language-and-culture chip Finland will be able to eat and have its cake when it comes to foreigners!

Kauhajoki, Finland, killer — the darker side of a man

Posted on by Migrant Tales

The fatal shooting of 10 classmates by Matti J. Saari, 22, in Kauhajoki in western Finland came as a shock. It was only in November that another young Finnish man went on the rampage in Jokela and killed and injured a number of his classmates.

Certainly a lot of questions clamor for an answer: Why? Where did we go wrong? What does this tell us about Finnish society?

One matter is for certain:  Saari was a pretty sick individual and should not represent any national group except for himself. But let’s say if the shooter would have been a foreigner. What kind of an outcry would it have unleashed?

Kick out the foreigners! Close Finland’s borders! could have been some of the cries. And consider the stigma that national group would have to carry if the murderer were an African or Russian?

However, we should not confuse the facts. The killer was the mind of a deranged person that carried out this  outlandish act — he only represented himself, nobody else.

It is the way we should look at things — the person not the country, stupid!

PS We should watch how we threaten others in this blog. One blogger said he wanted to kill me but would not because he is a law-abiding citizen. The comment was posted on the same day as the Kauhajoki shootings.

Finland’s difficult quest for foreign laborers

Posted on by Migrant Tales

In a recent article in the London Financial Times. there is an article about how Finland is aiming to become a magnet for foreign laborers. While this is understandable, taking into account Finland’s aging population and the shortage of workers in some sectors of the economy, the country’s policy makers still have a lot of work to do before the country becomes an attractive magnet.

Facts such as 20% jobless claims by foreigners, high taxation and housing prices, harsh climate, language and, very importantly, the lack of foreign communities and outright opposition to foreigners by some Finns, undermine its attractiveness to outsiders. Laborers would have an easier time in places such as Sweden, Germany and the United Kingdom.

Another thumbs down to Finland’s quest is that it still continues to place hiring restrictions on foreign workers despite being a member of the European Union. If a Finnish company employs a foreigner, it has to prove that a Finnish worker could not do the job.

In my opinion it is a paradox that Finland, which had fought in past decades to assert a sense of strong national identity, is seeing itself a victim of such a rigid stance. It creates a narrow view of the world and scares away people from making Finland their home.

Why would I want to move to a country and bring up my children where they will always be reminded by some that they are foreigners? All you have to do is look at the myriad of comments in this blog to understand that some Finns are not ready to handle more foreigners in this country, especially if they are black.

Finland has a long way to go before it becomes a magnet for foreign laborers. First it will have to convince the labor unions that they should hire foreigners in the face of unemployed Finns. Second, the rigid perceptions of how Finns see outsiders will have to change. Some continue to see foreigners as a threat to the culture.

A complete about-turn will have to take place and this will not happen overnight, but take decades, probably generations to set in. I do not see it any other way, unless you want to maintain the present untenable status quo of keeping 20% of foreigners outside of the economy and their children aloof from Finnish society.

What is scary is that it appears that not even our policy makers seem to know what they are doing and what  bringing more foreigners to the country imply. It looks more like a program left to chance than anything else.

Finland of Mayberry syndrome

Posted on by Migrant Tales

Mayberry used to be an imaginary town in North Carolina where the 1960s sitcom called The Andy Griffith Show took place. In this make-believe town and world, life was simple, traditional values were cherished, and people respected and cared for each other.  There were two sitcoms during that decade that portrayed the same world view of small-town America: Petticoat Junction and Green Acres.

Mary Mekko from San Francisco, who has a very interesting name, posted the following comment: When I returned in 2006 for a 2-week visit, I was shocked at the number of foreigners, especially the Somalis, in Helsinki, along the Metro line towards Itä-Keskus.

And here is another one by Tiwaz: Just look at yourself! You are originating from one or multiple multicultural hellholes with excessive social inequality, division of society and various other problems. But still you try to champion the idea of changing Finland into same kind of multicultural hellhole.

I too remember Finland many decades ago as a huge Nordic Mayberry. Life appeared simple and certain values, such as the love and respect for the woods, had real meaning and importance. There was very little crime and the Finns appeared on the surface content with their lives even though suicide rates were one of the highest in the world.

Are some of our views on Finland anchored by images of life in Mayberry that never existed in the first place? One interesting matter about the sitcoms I mentioned is that there is not a single black person, Chinese restaurants, pizzerias, Mexican Americans, gays, feminists, Ku Klux Klan members, bigots living in the towns of Mayberry, Hooterville (Green Acres) or Pixley (Green Acres). They appear like bubbles immune to the ills of urban society.

Possibly living in these “idyllic”  towns — if they existed — would have taught us they they were not as content as they appeared and were nothing more than places where values lived in straitjackets and never changed. Nobody could ever question the system because it was — like Finland? — a so-called perfect society.

Sometimes when I remember what Finland was like many decades ago and read some of the comments in this blog, I jump and exclaim: That’s another one that has been struck by the Mayberry syndrome!

Here is a funny clip from the Mayberry Sheriff’s Office:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLsg0EvZozI&feature=related]

Being an immigrant in Finland: A letter from Ida

Posted on by Migrant Tales

I do not usually do this. But I thought it was such a candid comment that I had to bring it to all of your attention. It reveals, in my opinion, what some foreigners feel about Finnish society but do not dare to say too loudly in public.

Thank you Ida, I hope others follow your example. The first important step in taking part in any society is debating openly about the issues that affect our lives. It shows that we are active citizens who care about Finland. It is that first important step in integrating.

I am an immigrant. Sometimes I feel so frustrated in Finland that I just wanted to ‘give it back to the society’. Hence the crime. People like me (hypothetically) acting out of frustration. If the mentality here is that no foreigners are good and only a tiny fraction of people like Juha, the social worker, understands and/or appreciates diversity it doesn’t help much because the general society isn’t open=minded. I would even call racist.

If a person like Juha comes to ask me how do I like it in Finland, I wouldn’t want to hurt his feelings. A guy who works so hard for us. What do you expect me to say? that I am so frustrated that I can leave this second to another place where I feel more comfortable?

I would reverse those numbers. 95% prejudiced and 4% nonchalant, 0.5% don’t care, 0.001% welcoming (and the rest 0.499% lost in statistics).

Good welfare system is like a double-edged sword for immigrants. We are taken care of but we are also blamed for using them. And so you have to be ever-thankful that you are here, Finland. Because you are given shelter and food, now you can take this mental abuse in the form of institutionalized racism.

Any CONSTRUCTIVE comments?