Browsing by Subject "talent attraction"

As digitalization and globalization are global trends that transcend company and nation borders, the competition for the best talent has also become a national competition. Finland, among other Nordic nations has a thriving IT and technology literate society that is facing a negative demographic prognosis. There is a stark need for skilled labor migration. Past research sets Finland apart as the only Nordic nation to have a talent attraction and retention plan on the national level. Yet, the research also shows that Finland’s labor market is difficult to integrate to as a migrant. This thesis study explores what kind of changes the Covid-19 crisis brought to the talent attraction and retention practices in Finland. The research is conducted as a qualitative case study, and it focuses on the attraction and retention of the ICT & Tech talents from outside of the EU/ETA area between 2019 and 2022. The research is conducted through semi-structured interviews with International ICT talents and IT recruiters. In addition, previous literature on nation branding, talent attraction and retention and integration has been reviewed to set a framework and context for this study. The results of this research indicate that the Finnish national brand has a positive image but is not well known. It is associated with the other Nordic nations as one Nordic area or block. The decisive factors for international talents to relocate to Finland are based on soft values as work life balance, family friendly society, low hierarchy, and friendliness. However, the research suggests that the more important aspect of the equation is the retention work from the employer’s side and the public sector’s side. Furthermore, Covid-19 crisis accelerated the digitalization and created more demand for ICT specialists and opportunities for global hires. While simultaneously limiting the integration and network building opportunities through remote and hybrid work and restrictions. Finally, the results of this research indicate that for a sustainable future attraction and retention of international talent, the companies, and the city level, that have the greater burden of retaining the talent, need more support.