Aging Finland population luring healthcare workers

Filipino healthcare workers, specifically nurses, may earn approximately €2,000 (around P120,000) per month in Finland, surpassing that country’s minimum wage of P1,600 (approximately P96,000).

This was according to Finland’s Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment Migration Director Sonja Hämäläinen.

While the migration director has yet to provide exact figures on how many Filipino healthcare workers the country is eyeing to hire, she emphasized the growing demand for foreign workers in healthcare due to Finland’s aging population

According to a 2021 study, Finland leads globally in population aging, with 29 percent of its total population and 38 percent of adults aged 65 or older.

“The whole system is triggered by the employers. If there is a need to hire, they will hire,” Hämäläinen said.

Aside from healthcare, job opportunities for Filipinos in Finland extend to the tourism, service, hotel, and restaurant industries.

On Thursday, Finland and the Philippines signed a joint declaration of intent (JDI) on the mobility of Filipino specialists and skilled workers to Finland. The JDI aims to promote sustainable labor mobility to Filipino professionals, among others.