News

On 19 December 2024, the Government issued three decrees, which specify in more detail the content of the new Integration Act. The new Act will enter into force at the beginning of 2025. The decrees concern the amount of imputed compensation, the assessment of skills and the need for integration services, and the national integration data repository.

The comprehensive reform of the Integration Act (KOTO24) aims to speed up the integration and employment of immigrants and to strengthen their knowledge of Finnish society. The reform is related to the T24 reform where employment and economic development services are transferred from the central government to municipalities.

Communications, in particular those on social media, aimed at integration professionals and others involved in the sector will be centralised at the turn of the year. In future, you can follow official communications on integration at kotoutuminen.fi, KEHA Centre’s Tuutti service and on Instagram and LinkedIn. 

KEHA Centre will be responsible for the national work and skills support of professionals involved in integration and refugee reception starting at the beginning of 2025. The task will be transferred to the KEHA Centre from the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment.

Interpretation may be arranged for integration services appointments of the municipality and the employment authority if the customer is unable to communicate in Finnish, Swedish or another language understood by the official. If the customer fails to attend a scheduled meeting and has not cancelled it, a fee could be charged for the interpretation services. A fee may be charged only if there is no acceptable reason for not attending or cancelling the appointment. 

On Wednesday 13 November, the city of Turku is organising an Integration 2024 pre-event from 2 pm to 8 pm at the Art House (Taiteen talo) with the theme culture supporting Integration. In addition, you can get to know organizations from Turku involved in integration and refugee reception at their own workplaces.

In September, the number of unemployed foreign jobseekers totalled 43,952, which is 16 per cent of all unemployed jobseekers. The number of first integration plans is still considerably higher than before 2022, but their number was roughly at the same level as in the third quarter of 2023.

Amendments to the Integration Act, which will enter into force in 2025, are circulated for comments until 24 October 2024. The amendments aim to strengthen public finances. They would concern specified government transfers to municipalities and municipalities' obligations, for example to draw up multi-sectoral and family integration plans.

There were 44,758 unemployed foreign jobseekers in Finland at the end of August. The number of unemployed foreign jobseekers increased 19 per cent year-on-year. In addition to the poor economic outlook, the increase can be explained by the growth in foreign labour in Finland.

Changes will be made to the Integration Act and the integration system in the reform to shift the focus of the system from an emphasis on the rights of immigrants to an emphasis on their own obligations and responsibilities. In connection with the project, a comprehensive reform of training that promotes integration and language skills will be implemented. The system will become more efficient and funding will be brought under a single umbrella.

The registration for Integration 2024 in Turku is full. You can register for the waiting list to get information, if more places become available for the event in Logomo, Turku. The online event has a lot of space left.

Moniheli and DIAK are organising the now traditional integration-themed pitching contest as part of Integration 2024. This year, the contest will focus on ideas or activities that promote integration in a context of diminishing resources.

The number of minority languages in which Yle Uutiset offers news will increase in September. The news published in Arabic and Somali is an experiment that will last slightly less than a year. During the coronavirus pandemic, Yle also published news in both languages.

Registration for Integration 2024 is open. The event is held on November 14-15 at Logomo in Turku. Join us to hear about the latest research, meet partners and learn about best practices! Register for the event before October 16 2024.

An experiment based on a new type of agreement model had a positive long-term impact on the employment, confirmed income and the amount of taxes paid by immigrants participating in the experiment. According to the interviews conducted in connection with a recent evaluation, the close contacts between employers and employment-promoting services were particularly useful.

What subjects are current in the field of integration? Integration 2024 offers a chance to dive into current themes in immigrant integration and refugee reception and network with other actors. Read more about the programme schedule before registration. The registration will open on Monday September 9.

The Government’s action plan published in June includes 30 actions that support the employment of Ukrainians. Communication in Ukrainians’ native language is increased and their transition to municipalities is supported. The action plan is now also available in English for example EU-level comparison and other research.

There were 49,543 unemployed foreign jobseekers in Finland at the end of July. This is the highest number of unemployed foreign jobseekers ever recorded. In addition to the lacklustre economy, the increase in foreign labour explains this growth.

In June, there were 46,709 unemployed foreign jobseekers, which accounts for 16 per cent of all unemployed jobseekers. The number of first integration plans fell from the first quarter of 2024. This drop may be due to seasonal variation as, of all quarters, the least number of first integration plans are usually drawn up in the second quarter of the year.

The Centre of Expertise in Immigrant Integration of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment conducts a survey to examine the views of the Partnership Platform users concerning the use and usefulness of the Platform and the need for it in future. The responses will be used in the development of the Partnership Platform and the kotoutuminen.fi online service as well as in the planning and development of communications and online communications for those involved in integration in 2024–2025.