What Happened When Finland Tried to Lure the World's Remote Tech Workers? (indiatimes.com) 24
As 2020 came to a close, the city of Helsinki, Finland tried offering "City as a Service" to attract new workers to its growing technology hub.
"We will provide selected applicants with a free 90-day relocation package for the entire family," explained the web site for the program (which is now no longer accepting applications). "We'll arrange your housing, daycare, schooling, everything you need — the real deal, just like a Finn." They'd pick you up at the airport, and then offer orientation services, "relocation consultation," and regular get-togethers, even offering in-person introductions to Helsinki-area technology hubs and business networks. (And of course, they'd arrange all the necessary documentation for a 90-day stay and permanent residency applications.) "Are you a 90 Day Finn...?" asked the site. "This is your call for a 90-day audition in Helsinki, featuring an unseen level of work-life balance!"
So what happened? The program "received 5,300 applications from across the world in just a month," reports the India Times, citing an article in the Guardian: The report adds that about 30 per cent of the applications came from the US and Canada. The remaining applications, 'evenly spread,' included 50 Britons and one application from Vanuatu. Johanna Huurre from Helsinki Business Hub, an agency that came up with the campaign, told The Guardian, "800 were entrepreneurs seeking to launch startups, 60 were investors, and the remainder were job hunting."
"It's been a great campaign to showcase Finland," said Joonas Halla, of Business Finland. "What's good is the practical approach. The tech sector here is really thriving — by one estimate it should create 50,000 new jobs in 2021. We need the talent."
"We will provide selected applicants with a free 90-day relocation package for the entire family," explained the web site for the program (which is now no longer accepting applications). "We'll arrange your housing, daycare, schooling, everything you need — the real deal, just like a Finn." They'd pick you up at the airport, and then offer orientation services, "relocation consultation," and regular get-togethers, even offering in-person introductions to Helsinki-area technology hubs and business networks. (And of course, they'd arrange all the necessary documentation for a 90-day stay and permanent residency applications.) "Are you a 90 Day Finn...?" asked the site. "This is your call for a 90-day audition in Helsinki, featuring an unseen level of work-life balance!"
So what happened? The program "received 5,300 applications from across the world in just a month," reports the India Times, citing an article in the Guardian: The report adds that about 30 per cent of the applications came from the US and Canada. The remaining applications, 'evenly spread,' included 50 Britons and one application from Vanuatu. Johanna Huurre from Helsinki Business Hub, an agency that came up with the campaign, told The Guardian, "800 were entrepreneurs seeking to launch startups, 60 were investors, and the remainder were job hunting."
"It's been a great campaign to showcase Finland," said Joonas Halla, of Business Finland. "What's good is the practical approach. The tech sector here is really thriving — by one estimate it should create 50,000 new jobs in 2021. We need the talent."
Sounds like a promotional gimmick (Score:4, Interesting)
Re: Sounds like a promotional gimmick (Score:5, Informative)
Re: Sounds like a promotional gimmick (Score:4, Funny)
Apparently ten of those people will have 3333 jobs each and the other five will have 3334 jobs each. Assuming that Finland's prime minister’s aspirational goal of a six-hour, four-day workweek goes through, that means an average of almost 26 seconds per job, per week.
Re: Sounds like a promotional gimmick (Score:4, Funny)
Perhaps even less than 15. "Helsinki Business Hub will choose a maximum 15 participants."
Re: Sounds like a promotional gimmick (Score:5, Informative)
According to the T&C, you pay for your own airfare and accommodations.
You have to go home after 90 days.
So 15 people are getting a 90-day tourist visa to visit Finland at their own expense.
Most likely, all of these people would have received a similar visa if they had just applied through normal channels.
Whoever thought up this scheme deserves a raise. Finland is getting great PR for doing basically nothing.
Re: (Score:3)
Has anyone checked if this thing has been organized by Finnair and Hilton Helsinki?
Re: (Score:2)
Many of them wouldn't even need a visa, for instance 30% of the applications were from the US and Canada - US/CA citizens are allowed 90 days visa free visits to Finland already. Same for the UK having left the EU - for those countries which are still EU members, there are no limits on how long you can stay in Finland without needing a visa.
Re: (Score:2)
> US/CA citizens are allowed 90 days visa free visits
> to Finland already.
Not US citizens... not anymore anyway. In trump's America, diplomatic and international relations with any nation that's not russia just don't matter. And he's pissed off most of the rest of the world so much that we're banned from so much as visiting, much less working or trying to relocate, overseas. Finland is not one of the listed exceptions. And Biden's yet presented any plan or timetable for repairing our overseas relat
Re: Sounds like a promotional gimmick (Score:2)
WTF are you even talking about? The visa waiver program hasn't been changed, rather there are travel restrictions due to covid-19. The US isn't unique in that regard, in fact Brittain itself is seeing far stricter travel restrictions at the moment.
As soon as the vaccine is widespread, all of that goes away.
Re: (Score:3)
It's not a tourist visa. A tourist visa does not allow someone to work.
They get additional support that helps them understand how moving to Finland would work, what the benefits are and what their quality of life would be like there. I'd have applied if I had known about it.
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They will select people with the skills that they want and hope they stay. The idea is that people are unsure about making such a big move and this lets them try it relatively risk free.
Re: (Score:2, Interesting)
And even if they accepted them, many wouldn't actually move there after finding out about their oppressive tax rates.
I was there (Score:5, Funny)
I even had a girlfriend there, but I'm not sure what nationality.
The only thing I know, during sex, she always yelled: I'm not Finnish!
Good PR (Score:2)
Limited payments by them, minimal commitment (90 days) on their end.
The entire idea is to show off Finnland.
After all, if you were considering becoming a tele-commuter, more people would think of Hawaii than a Scandanavian country, despite the fact that Scandinavia has several of the happiest countries in the world.
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Well why not. (Score:2)
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Cool names... I mean, frost pist! (Score:2)