Foreign-born workforce drives employment growth in Helsinki region

Employment growth in the Helsinki metropolitan area is largely driven by the foreign-born population. More than one in five residents in the region now have a foreign background, and while immigrants generally face more challenges in the labour market compared to native Finns, their contribution has been essential to recent employment gains.

By the end of 2022, the Helsinki region — comprising Espoo, Helsinki, and Vantaa — was home to 250,000 foreign-background residents, four-fifths of whom were born abroad.