Browsing by Author "Matveinen, Kanerva"

Research on highly skilled work-based migration has been a minority in the research of immigrant groups in Finland. From the perspective of "geographies of privileges" highly skilled work-based migrants (HSWB migrants), working often in knowledge-based jobs, are presented as a group of migrants that doesn’t need support with adjustment to new places. In this research the differences of areas and locations are brought up as well as things affecting the adjustment. The regions studied are cities of Espoo, Helsinki, Oulu, Turku and Tampere for HSWB’s adjustment experiences. Helsinki, Espoo and Tampere were research area for HSWB services. At the same time the discussion includes the perspective of cities and Finland to this phenomenon. Adjustment is seen as a geographical process in which adjustment happens in and to a place or places. The theories of transnationalism, translocalism and cross-cultural adjustment are used to highlight how adjustment is seen and influenced. The HSWB migrant’s life and adjustment is looked through outside influence (friends, language, family, hobbies, expectations) and through the regional differences. Methods used were semistructured interviews and content analysis as well as by survey and statistical methods. The sample size of the survey was 77. The results show that more satisfied the HSWB migrants are the longer they expect themselves to live in Finland. Also, the adjustment of their families and had a positive impact on the length of expected stay in Finland. According to result the location didn't affect satisfaction or any other factor. Neither had nationality impact on satisfaction nor ethnicity. One of the biggest challenges the HSWB migrants faced was finding Finnish friends. From cities point of view HSWB migrants are an important resource to Finland and the regions. The adjustment of HSWB was seen by officials as adjusting to a place instead of seeing it as a national level adjustment. According to results in Finland the HSWB migrants are seen as transmigrants. The challenges they meet have not had as much attention as asylum seekers and refugees as well as other more vulnerable groups of migrants. Still HSWB migrants face some of the same difficulties as other migrant groups. In times of Finland needing more highly skilled people for work the need for foreign talent is getting more serious and obvious. Because of this there should be some focus on the well-being of HSWB migrants.