Mayor Jussi Pajunen concerned about growth in immigration

Jussi Pajunen

print this

In the view of Helsinki's Mayor, Jussi Pajunen (National Coalition Party), measures need to be taken swiftly over the growth in numbers of asylum-seekers.
      Pajunen commented in his blog on Monday that he was very concerned about the matter.
      "The City of Helsinki has set as one of its aims to turn immigration into a resource and a source of vitality. At the current rate, quite the opposite is happening", writes Pajunen.
     
According to Pajunen, the population increase of the capital in the current decade is attributable practically in its entirety to the growth in the population of immigrant backgrounds.
      Their share of the population has risen from the couple of per cent noted at the beginning of the 1990s to the point where the 10% mark is soon to be broken.
      "At the current rate of progress, by 2025, one in four Helsinki residents will be of immigrant background", estimates Pajunen.
      Employing the newcomers, even under the present circumstances, is a huge challenge for Helsinki, in Pajunen's opinion.
      The unemployment rate for immigrants is 2.5 times that of the local Finnish population. At the same time, the share of immigrants in the overall workforce is lower than in the Finnish population.
     
The number of asylum-seekers must in Pajunen's view first be brought under control to a point where it corresponds to the ability to absorb them. "Rather than acting as chuckers-in, we have to return to the role of gate-keeper", he writes.
      In the second instance, Pajunen believes that action must be taken right away to see through a provisional agreement worked out between the state and the Greater Helsinki area on the speeding up of moves to find employment for immigrants.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Higher employment level for immigrants would save Helsinki millions (3.10.2008)

Helsingin Sanomat