Delegation from Lahti examines possibilities for recruiting nurses from China

Former Soviet republics also seen as possible source of staff in field threatened by labour shortage

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Finnish recruiters, fearing an increasing shortage of labour, are casting their nets further than before.
      Especially in the nursing and service sectors, new personnel are being sought in China, the Philippines, and Malaysia.
      The Central Uusimaa Development Centre Ltd. Forum is interested in a proposal to bring students from Ukraine and Belarus to Estonia's Russian-language educational institutions for further schooling, and for lessons in the Finnish language.
      After successfully completing the course, they could work in Finland. If learning Finnish proves too difficult, they could stay in Estonia, where there is a need for qualified Russian-speaking staff.
     
Meanwhile, the City of Lahti, along with Salpaus Further Education, plans to recruit Chinese nurses for work in Finland, with the help of a Chinese labour exchange.
      The idea is to bring qualified nurses to Finland to work as trainees, while they learn linguistic skills and other supplementary education.
      Alternatively, a Chinese nursing school could arrange special nurses' training tailor-made for Finland's needs.
      A group of Lahti officials visited Beijing last week to learn about the standard of nurses' education in China.
     
However, the employment office of the Päihät-Häme region is less than enthusiastic about the idea of actively recruiting labour from abroad in a situation in which the unemployment rate is nearly 12 per cent - about four points higher than the national average.
      "There are many unemployed people here, and I believe that some of them would be interested in work in the health care sector. They don't have the training, but they do speak Finnish."


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Everyone who wants to go to Finland, raise your hands (20.1.2008)

Helsingin Sanomat