| Yhteenveto: | This study explores how the blanket application of Finnish language proficiency shapes the career trajectories of migrants in Finland. The essentiality of the Finnish language to migrants for socio-economic integration in the Finnish society inspires this study. Grounded in the dual and segmented labour market theories, this research investigates and documents the experiences of migrants navigating the Finnish labour market. Additionally, it contests the justification of employer’s emphasis on Finnish fluency reflecting operational needs by presenting other concealed biases from migrants’ experiences.
The research generates insight into the connections between employer’s hiring practices, by using the Finnish language as a gatekeeping tool consequently affecting the employment situation of educated and skilled migrants withing the Finnish labour market. This results to addressing two research questions: (a) how does Finnish language proficiency affect migrants' access to the labour market? (b) to what extent is the widespread emphasis on Finnish language proficiency a justifiable criterion for Migrants’ labour market integration, in contrast to a devious tool that conceals the influence of other central underlying barriers?
Sixteen semi-structured interviews were conducted through a qualitative study and data was thematically analysed with Microsoft Words and ATLAS.ti. Findings revealed that migrants considered Finnish Language central to finding employments on Finland, thus they strived to acquire it. The complexity of learning Finnish backed by lack of institutional and societal support made it difficult to acquire. Therefore, due to employer hiring practices, the lack of fluent Finnish skill excludes majority of migrants from key labour market participation. Migrants instead end up in the secondary segment and periphery of the Finnish labour market. However, further findings shows that the notion of fluent Finnish proficiency translating to job is but a simplistic ideology as employer ethnic preference, name, convenience and inconsistency is concealed under the language proficiency requirements. The implicit discriminations hidden under the Finnish language criteria thus decides the employment outcomes for both first- and second-generation migrants in Finland leaving them with an uncertain future.
The research questions the economic importance of migrants in the Finnish labour market and recommends the full participation of highly skilled and educated migrants fostering true labour market integration. The resurrection of the TUPO tripartite agreement can achieve this when migrants are protected by creating policy interventions that balance genuine language needs by illuminating and monitoring cultural and structural barriers.
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