More focus on women, youth and telecommuting could rescue declining rural towns
Experts say that with the population declining and aging in rural areas, small towns need to find a path to future survival.
In Veteli, Central Ostrobothnia, some of the government s coronavirus financial has been used to hire a a youth worker. Photo of central Veteli in April 2021.
Image: Kalle Niskala / Yle
While there are some exceptions, the big picture shows the population is declining and aging in rural areas of Finland, with growth concentrated in a few larger cities and their surrounding areas, and many smaller towns are struggling to avoid facing reality.
Finnish government to ease residence for some undocumented migrants
A new government plan will open a path for people who have received negative asylum decisions but found work to stay in the country. According to an estimate by the Association of Finnish Municipalities, there are 700-1100 undocumented migrants in Finland. Photo for illustration only.
Image: Helena von Alfthan / Yle
Finland s Interior Ministry has issued an updated Action Plan for the Prevention of Irregular Entry and Stay that includes measures to more effectively address the situation of undocumented migrants in the country.
The plan, presented on Wednesday, is aimed at preventing the emergence of what it terms a parallel society in Finland.
Ministry looks at drive-in or outdoor voting in local elections
The Ministry of Justice says that voting from a car will be tested for the first time at the elections on 13 June.
Outdoor or drive-in voting may be possibility in the pandemic.
Image: Silja Viitala / Yle
The Ministry of Justice has published a guide to safe voting during the Covid-19 epidemic, which suggests that drive-in or outdoor voting may be a possibility in the upcoming local election.
Finland s Election Act does not prevent outdoor voting on election day, but the ministry does not yet know whether municipalities intend to offer it.
By Rachel Fixsen2021-02-03T14:48:00+00:00
The head of Finland’s biggest pension fund, Keva, has announced he will retire this November, and said “much remains to be done” regarding the planned merger between the country’s municipal and private sector occupational pension systems.
Timo Kietäväinen, chief executive officer of the public sector pension fund, said: “When I came to Keva from the Association of Finnish Municipalities, I said at the time that I would stay in the post for about five years, and these five years are now up.”
The chair of Keva’s board of directors, Minna Arve, Mayor of Turku, said the board would start the process of hiring a new CEO immediately, aiming to have chosen a new leader by the summer holidays at the latest.
Helsinki s anonymous recruitment pilot to continue
Officials say anonymous recruitment has been such a success that the practice will continue next year.
Before being interviewed for her present job as a youth media trainer, Emilia Mäkinen was only a list of qualifications and a four-digit numerical series to recruiters.
Image: Rami Moilanen / Yle
In the spring of this year, the City of Helsinki started a pilot of anonymous recruitment, eliminating names, gender and age from application documents seen by HR before deciding on sending out invitations to job interviews.
The system was piloted in 12 different sectors, for a total of 41 jobs. Most were in the education and training fields, but the pilot also included other types of positions, including jobs in social and health care and Helsinki city transport.