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This autumn marks 10 years since the beginning of the 2015 refugee crisis, when an estimated 1.3 million people from Middle Eastern countries sought asylum in Europe. Of that number, 32,477 people arrived in Finland — an unprecedentedly high figure in Finnish immigration history and one of the highest per-capita number by any EU nation during that period. Helsingin Sanomat's most-read article of Monday morning asks how the people who arrived in Finland during that tumultuous time have fared — noting that two-thirds of those who arrived were from Iraq and eight out of 10 were men. "Have they been able to integrate into Finnish society? How many even received asylum? Are the newcomers still living on benefits," are the questions HS poses, and cites an extensive study by the VATT Institute for Economic Research to find the answers. The topline finding is that those who applied for — and received — asylum as minors have integrated into Finland far better than the people who arrived as adults. For example, the younger generation are much more likely to be in work or studying than their older counterparts, the study found. "There have been similar findings from some other countries as well. Those who arrived as minors without a guardian have managed to move forward in life. It's really good to hear that this has also happened for those who came to Finland," Minna Säävälä, of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, tells HS. Although many in the younger demographic have struggled to find work, for example, the proportion of those unemployed is similar to that of the native population of the same age. The figures do not however make such good reading for people who arrived in Finland as adults. Only 42 percent of adults who received a positive asylum decision between autumn 2015 and the spring of 2017 were currently employed, making this group's rate of unemployment about three times higher when compared to the same demographic of native Finns. Säävälä cites a number of different factors that may explain why the older group have fared much worse. "Those who have come from Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria have spent their youth in societies where the conditions for attending school were poor," she explains, adding that people who have poor literacy in their own language will find it especially difficult to learn a new one. She further notes that Iraqis — who made up the vast majority of the 2015-2017 arrivals — face significant discrimination in the labour market. "There is also research evidence on this," she says. Yle News' All Points North hears from listeners who moved to Finland for love. Listen to the episode via this embedded player, on Yle Areena, via Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. From riches to redundancies How can a company book out an entire hotel to host a lavish bash for its staff and then, just a few weeks later, begin redundancy talks? That's the question many Iltalehti readers will be wondering on Monday morning, as the tabloid reports that consultancy firm Solita — which made headlines last month when it took over the landmark 25-storey Torni hotel in Tampere — has entered a 'staff restructuring' phase. Last month, a mysterious announcement by the hotel, that it would not be open to the public on Friday 26 September due to a "private event", led to wild speculation about who would reserve an entire hotel — with guesses ranging from a Saudi prince to Taylor Swift. The somewhat more prosaic answer, however, was Solita, and now the company is looking to trim its workforce. "We have been growing for 10 years, also outside of Finland, and have carried out many acquisitions," CEO Ossi Lindroos tells IL. "For a year now, we have been evaluating where it makes sense to provide group services. Now we are planning where and how these services will be produced." This planning will lead to the loss of about 29 jobs, according to the consultancy firm's own estimates. Solita employs about 2,100 people in 10 different countries, IL adds. Turku delights Turku-based Turun Sanomat has a series of articles celebrating the return of local side TPS to Finland's top footballing table, the Veikkausliiga. TPS have won the Veikkausliiga league title eight times but the Turku side are arguably most famous for a shock 1-0 away win over Italian giants Inter Milan in the 1987-88 UEFA Cup. That halcyon day in the San Siro has been a long and distant memory in recent times however, as TPS have spent much of this decade languishing in Ykkönen, the second tier of Finnish football, and faced the very real prospect of bankruptcy just last year. But a 6-2 aggregate win over Kotka side KTP in the promotion-relegation battle means TPS will be back among the elite next season. Their promotion marks a bumper season for football in Finland's southwest corner, with city rivals Inter Turku still in the running for this year's Veikkausliiga title. Inter sit joint top of the table with current champions KuPs, with just three rounds of games remaining.
