REALIZE - Relieving expert shortage by luring international skilled workers and developing employer's knowledge in Central Finland

Hoksautus - Addressing the shortage of skilled professionals in Central Finland through the attraction of international talent and development of employer competency in international recruitment' project was implemented by JAMK University of Applied Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, and the City of Jyväskylä in collaboration with the Central Finland TE Office and Chamber of Commerce from April 1, 2020, to May 31, 2023 with five-month extension to the original end date (December 31, 2022). The European Social Fund and the Central Finland Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment (ELY Centre) funded the project. The project aimed to build employers' competency in recruiting and employing international professionals in Central Finland. The project had three main objectives aimed at facilitating the employment of international experts in the region: 

 1. Lower the barriers for Central Finnish employers to hire international professionals. 

2. Increase awareness of existing tools. 

3. Engage in experiments to attract talent to Central Finland. 

 The small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and employers in Central Finland were the primary target groups of the HOKSAUTUS project. The secondary target groups were employment and business advisory services in Central Finland. The project indirectly affected the international job seekers in the region by developing the primary and secondary target groups' competency and services. Compared to many other regions in Finland, Central Finland has lagged in the employment rate and recruitment of international talent. Thus, the key approaches in the project were low-threshold employer activation, benchmarking and promoting good practices, and innovative development experiments aimed at lowering the employers' threshold to recruit international talent. 

The project started at the outbreak of the global Covid-19 pandemic. The unexpected shock in the operating environment posed challenges to the engagement of companies and stakeholders in the project activities. Employer companies' markets and recruitment environment changed radically, or, in the worst cases, their operations ceased entirely. This delayed the effective star of the project activities. The project recovered from the environmental shock caused by the pandemic and regained effective operations in the latter part of 2021. Throughout the project, there were changes within the project staff. Despite the challenges, the project has reached its objectives and, in some activities, surpassed them.  

During the project, the network of initiatives and actors focusing on developing the employment and integration of international talent has evolved in the region. Attitudes, practices, and approaches have positively changed during the project, but further development work is needed to address challenges related to the recruitment, employment, and integration of international talent in Central Finland. Effective and close collaboration among various stakeholders should be continued.