Reader opinion What would change the attitudes of employers?

Opinion|Reader’s opinion

Espoo Xijun Wang’s experiences were once again reminiscent of the problems foreigners face as job seekers (HS 25.3). According to the story, as many as 75 percent of international professionals have experienced discrimination in their job search. 61 per cent had experienced discrimination in the workplace. These figures are barren to read. There is room for improvement in both recruitment and internal work culture.

We have been discussing this problem for decades. Working groups have been set up and studies carried out, yet change is painfully slow. There are currently more than 140,000 job vacancies and there is a chronic shortage of workers in many sectors.

What would change the attitudes of employers to dare to hire a person with a foreign name and a weaker command of the Finnish language? Often, a change in prejudice will require one or more positive experiences of hiring a foreign language. If you do not want or dare to give this experience a chance, change will not happen. The problem is perhaps greatest in medium-sized and small businesses.

For a long time now, large international companies have had to reshape their recruitment and work culture. A company that does not hire foreign speakers loses important opportunities for development. These employees could bring new ideas, diverse language skills and international networks to the company. Of course, it also requires changes in the work culture that enable the utilization of this competence. Why not use this kind of potential that these people have?

Vesa Kukkamaa

Espoo

The reader’s opinions are the speeches written by HS’s readers, selected and delivered by HS’s editorial staff. You can leave a comment or read the principles of writing at www.hs.fi/kirjtamielipidekirjoitus/.