When an international talent is recruited to work in Finland, they often relocate as a unit that includes a spouse or a whole family with children. How the rest of the family enjoys life here greatly impacts whether the recruit stays in Finland or starts looking for opportunities elsewhere. When the spouse is happy and feels fulfilled, they will likely remain in Finland.
If the spouse doesn’t integrate into society by finding a job or something meaningful to do, it’s more likely that the family decides to relocate elsewhere. Especially if the spouse stays home with small children, their social circle remains small. Highly educated spouses might feel that their talents get wasted if they have trouble getting a job. This is a problem that companies with international employees come across frequently.
To support the plus-ones that come from abroad, International House Helsinki (IHH), which is coordinated by the City of Helsinki, established the Spouse Program. The program helps international newcomers in the Helsinki area settle into their new homes by providing them with a peer community, career support, and networking opportunities. (Read more about the Spouse Program here opens in new tab opens in new tab)
One of the participants of the Spouse Program is Albanian Egisa Ndina, who has lived in Finland since 2021. The Spouse Program was introduced to Ndina by her friend, who told her that it could not only help her meet people in same the situation but also get inspired by new possibilities.
”Through the Spouse Program I started making meaningful connections, but the best part about the program is that it is encouraging immigrants to remember their potential”, Ndina tells.
If the spouse is unhappy, the balance is off
The Finnish entity of the technology company Capgemini is one of the companies collaborating with the Spouse Program. They employ about 650 professionals in Finland, of which around 15–20 per cent are non-Finnish. Most of them have applied for an open position in Finland and have moved here because of that job.
”We have a lot of dual-career families, and the balance is off if the other one doesn’t find anything to do”, tells Paula Romanainen, International Mobility Manager at Capgemini Finland.
”We have the history that we’ve lost some really good talents because their spouse couldn’t find work here. Also, we know that surprisingly many couples are both in the tech industry, so we can support the spouses quite easily because they’re looking for very similar jobs than the spouse is doing.”
To help the families of international recruits settle in Finland, Capgemini wanted to do their share, so they launched their own program for spouses. In fall 2024 the company implemented a four-month training program for expat spouses called GetINCLUDED. The cooperation with IHH’s Spouse Program provided a ready target audience for which GetINCLUDED was advertised.
“We had an idea that something like this was needed, but we were surprised to get over 50 applications with a small amount of advertising. Most of them were perfectly qualified and we could have chosen any of them”, Romanainen says.
Ndina’s dual role in GetINCLUDED
For Capgemini the program wasn’t about recruiting for themselves, which could of course happen too, but to help the spouses in general to find a place in Finland. However they needed a project coordinator for the program, so they decided to kill two birds with one stone – applicants could simultaneously apply for the program as a participant and as a project coordinator.
This is when Ndina and Capgemini connected, though their paths had already crossed before. She had taken part in a Spouse Program event called Tech Solution Day, in which the participants were randomly divided into groups to work on challenges, and she was part of the Capgemini group. (Read more about the Tech Solution Day here)
Previously Ndina has worked for mainly Italian companies as a data management specialist, data management operator and IT service help desk, so she is especially interested in technology-related events that the Spouse Program organises.
After starting GetINCLUDED, Ndina was hired as a project coordinator for the program, so she had a dual role as one of the six participants and also a paid employee of Capgemini. Her main job was to administer and arrange meetings and events, but she also had a role as a bridge between the participants and company representatives.
Training sessions and helpful tricks
In the GetINCLUDED program, the main focus was on upskilling through a digital learning platform, but the participants also had joint activities, focusing for example on fine-tuning their CVs, social media marketing (e.g. LinkedIn) and other training sessions. Individual coaching was also offered to help guide their career development in Finland.
The participants for example learnt helpful tricks on how to stand out in the Finnish recruitment process and how to write application documents, which was helpful since these vary greatly from culture to culture. The participants all had tech backgrounds but with different focus areas.
“I could tell that all the participants, including me, after this experience had gained more confidence and built strength. Not just from meeting people with the same situation as you, but also from hearing other stories and perspectives”, Ndia says.
Through the digital learning platform, the participants could focus on their individual learning path, ultimately aiming for certifications in their field of expertise. There are a wide range of certifications participants could do, and they were also helped to choose the most relevant ones for their background and career plans.
Fruitful conversations gave both sides a lot
Among the employees of Capgemini, the participants were warmly welcomed throughout the company. People found time in their busy schedules to chip in, whether it was having a chat in Finnish or professionals sharing their tricks and solutions. The participants had previously studied Finnish in language courses or were studying during the program, and at Capgemini they had a chance to practice speaking the language in real-life situations.
The participants also shared their own stories, so the company also gained a lot of valuable information and new perspectives on hiring professionals with international backgrounds.
”Everybody at the company was so supportive. Even employees who were not officially contributing to the program were more than happy to be part of it. The discussion about what the newcomers face when applying for jobs in Finland and how they experienced the tech industry here overall was very fruitful both ways”, Romanainen states.
Luring the talents isn’t hard, keeping them in Finland is
For Ndina the hardest part about living in Finland has been landing a job despite all the help she has received from different authorities and organisations. She knew that starting a life in a new country wouldn’t be easy, but still, the lack of job opportunities in Finland has taken a toll on her self-esteem.
The GetINCLUDED has helped her to regain her self-confidence and given her the understanding that not getting a job isn’t about her. Now she and her husband are pondering the possibilities for their future, whether to stay in Finland or look for opportunities somewhere else.
”I didn’t know how it would be for us to move and live in a new country with a new language, with a new culture, but I was happy to try different things and new experiences. Even though it has been difficult, it will have its good outcomes too”, Ndina says.
This gets to the heart of the challenge of keeping international recruits in Finland. The problem isn’t about how to lure them here, but how to encourage them to stay.
Finland has a good reputation among professionals looking for new opportunities, which also applies to Ndina. She and her husband had heard good things about Finland, which influenced their decision to choose the Nordic country instead of several other options.
Spouse programs can change lives
“It’s a huge untapped resource of talents that are often overlooked because the focus is on the person who’s relocating for the job and not the spouse who’s following. Luckily there has been a little switch on how we look at things”, Romanainen states.
Companies’ spouse programs similar to GetINCLUDED aren’t too common yet, but they’re steadily growing. Currently, IHH’s Spouse Program is collaborating with multiple companies across the Helsinki region on similar initiatives. (See the Spouse Program partners here opens in new tab opens in new tab)
“I hope we’re inspiring other companies to do something similar. If other companies from other sectors do something even slightly similar, then we could target a bigger audience to help”, Romanainen says.
Based on their experience and the feedback they got, Romanainen sees that there’s a clear need for programs like GetINCLUDED. Understandably companies’ main focus is on the business and getting the right professionals that are needed, but investing in the spouses and families of international recruits, even on a small scale, can make a difference.
”These kinds of programs could change lives”, Ndina concludes.