Foreign-background workers in Finland now form a major part of the national workforce. According to Statistics Finland, their numbers have passed 240,000, making up nearly 10 percent of the country’s 2.4 million employed people.
The growth has been rapid. In the past ten years, the number of employees with foreign roots has increased by more than 100,000. In several occupations, they already account for more than 40 percent of the total staff.
The largest groups originate from the former Soviet Union, Estonia, the Philippines, and Iraq. The definition includes people whose parents, or only known parent, were born abroad.
In 2023, the most common roles were office cleaners, builders, and sales staff. Social care also became a major field. Among office cleaners alone, 44 percent were of foreign background compared to just 23 percent in 2013.
Some sectors have seen a strong exchange between Finnish and foreign-background workers. Taxi services show the clearest example. After deregulation in 2018, new drivers entered the sector in large numbers, but earnings dropped. Finnish drivers left while immigrant drivers filled the gap. Today, one in four taxi drivers comes from a foreign background, compared to mostly Finnish drivers just a decade ago.
The cleaning industry reflects an even sharper change. One Espoo-based company reports that 95 percent of its 200 cleaners are immigrants. Thirty years ago, the situation was reversed, with Finns dominating cleaning roles.
Foreign-background workers are no longer just present in support roles. Among university research and teaching assistants, their share has reached 71 percent. In IT maintenance, their numbers have increased by nearly 1,000 percent over the last decade. The automotive sector shows similar growth, with mechanics from Estonia, Romania, and the Middle East now a vital part of the workforce.
Healthcare also depends on foreign-background employees. Around 13 percent of general practitioners and 10 percent of dentists have immigrant roots. Many patients now meet doctors whose first language is not Finnish.
Despite the growth, several fields remain closed to outsiders. Central administration, military, police, farming, and court systems employ more than 99 percent Finnish-background staff. Postal services and agricultural deputies also remain largely Finnish.
The data reveals a clear divide. Foreign-background workers are concentrated in roles that involve physical work or lower wages, such as cleaning, construction, and transport. Meanwhile, high-ranking government and legal positions remain almost entirely Finnish.
For many individuals, however, the contribution goes beyond statistics. A kindergarten teacher from Argentina, who has worked in Vantaa for more than a decade, says her role is about shaping children’s lives with patience and care. Stories like hers highlight how immigrant workers are deeply woven into Finland’s everyday life.
Across all occupations, the share of foreign-background workers in Finland has almost doubled in the past ten years. The change is uneven. In some jobs, their presence is minimal, while in others they are steadily replacing Finns. What remains clear is that Finland’s economy and services now rely heavily on immigrant labour, a trend that will only continue in the future.
