FACTS EXPRESS
2 /2012 | do international students of higher education stay in finl and after graduation? | PAGE 1
NUMBER
2/2012
Do international students
of higher education stay
in Finland after graduation?
›
What statistics
tell us about
degree students
The significance of international-
stands out on the agenda of
Finnish higher education. The aim is
to make Finnish higher education
internationally renowned and attractive
for students, teachers and researchers
and to create genuinely international
communities for study and work. Such
goals are set out in, for example, the
Strategy for the Internationalisation of
Higher Education Institutions in Finland, issued by the Ministry of Education and Culture. It is therefore crucial
to recruit students and staff also from
abroad and to support their integration
in Finland through a range of services.
Many more international degree students are welcome to Finland, as many
as 20,000 by the year 2015.
isation
Some 2,000 foreign nationals
graduate from Finnish higher
education each year.
Finnish higher education institutions have made good progress, getting
closer to the numerical targets. The
numbers of international students have
grown vigorously over the last years.
While there were just over 6,000 international students in Finnish higher
education at the start of the millennium, by 2011 they already numbered
more than 17,600. Most international
students come from China, Russia,
Sweden and Estonia, but the biggest
increases have been in the numbers
of students from Asia and Africa.
In the course of a few years, Nepal,
Cameroon, Vietnam, Ethiopia, India
and Nigeria have emerged among the
biggest countries of origin for international students in Finland.
And supporting the integration
of international students in Finland?
Some 2,000 foreign nationals graduate from Finnish higher education
each year. For the most part, inter-
national students get Bachelor degrees
in the universities of applied sciences
and Master’s degrees in the university
sector. The most popular fields are
Technology and Business. As Finland
grants them free education, it would
make sense also to enable them to stay
in Finland, where they could put their
skills to good use in working life.
This issue of Facts Express takes a
look at statistics to see what happens to
international students once they graduate and to what extent they remain in
Finland. The statistics come from a
Statistics Finland sample of foreign and
Finnish nationals who graduated from
Finnish higher education in 2007 and
whose employment data at the end of
the year 2008 was added to the data
set. Employment statistics include only
those people resident in Finland. It is
assumed that graduates who do not
appear in these statistics now live somewhere else.
Kansainvälisen liikkuvuuden ja yhteistyön keskus ///
Centret för internationell mobilitet och internationellt samarbete /// Centre for International Mobility
FACTS EXPRESS
2 /2012 | do international students of higher education stay in finl and after graduation? | PAGE 2
Graduates from the universities
of applied sciences and
Bachelor’s degree holders
from the university sector are
more likely to remain in Finland,
while Master’s and Doctors
head abroad more often than
others.
Two thirds of
international students
stay in Finland after
graduation
The Statistics Finland data shows that
a fair number of international graduates remain in Finland: 67% continued to live in Finland one year after
graduation.
This agrees with the results of
surveys of international students that
student organisations, for example,
have conducted. They indicate that
about 20% of those who have yet to
complete their degrees are definitely
considering staying in Finland and
40% would like to stay provided they
find a suitable place of study or work
(Kinnunen 2003; Niemelä 2008;
SAMOK 2008). It appears that those
who wish to remain in Finland do so.
Nearly all Finnish students (98%) stay
in Finland after graduation.
Tables 2 and 3 give information
by level and field of study, respectively,
about the numbers and employment
of international graduates staying in
Finland. Graduates from the universities of applied sciences and Bachelor’s
degree holders from the university
sector are more likely to remain in
Finland, while Master’s level graduates and those with a doctorate head
abroad more often than others.
There are also variations by field
of study. Graduates of certain fields
are on average less likely to remain in
Finland. These fields include Natural Resources and the Environment;
Social Sciences, Business and Administration; and Culture. Many of the
higher education programmes taught
in a foreign language are offered in
fields such as Social Sciences, Business
and Administration or in Technology,
Communication and Transport, where
the graduates are less likely to remain
in Finland. It may be that variations
by field tell more about which fields
have recruited plenty of students from
abroad and which fields tend to educate foreign nationals already based in
Finland. Perhaps it is not a question
of employability by field of study as
such.
SHARE OF SHARE IN EMPLOYMENT NUMBER OF 2007 SHARE OF THESE ALL GRADUATES OF INTERNATIONAL GRADUATES
IN FINLAND IN 2008, %
EMPLOYED GRADUATES WHO IN FINLAND, %
STAYED IN FINLAND, %
Foreign
nationals
1 332
67 %
49 %
73 %
Finnish
nationals
40 331
98 %
86 %
87 %
Table 1: How many of higher education graduates of 2007 have stayed and
found employment in Finland (Source: Statistics Finland)
FACTS EXPRESS
2 /2012 | do international students of higher education stay in finl and after graduation? | PAGE 3
Number
of international
graduates
in 2007
Total of all levels
of study
Bachelor’s degree
(university of applied sciences)
Bachelor’s degree
(university)
Master’s degree
(university)
Doctorate
Share
Share of
of all
these in
graduates
Finland
employed
in 2008, %
in Finland,
%
Share in
employment
of international
graduates
who stayed
in Finland,%
1 332
67 %
49 %
73 %
534
70 %
54 %
77 %
70
70 %
41 %
59 %
513
64 %
45 %
71 %
190
66 %
45 %
68 %
25
68 %
44 %
65 %
Other qualifications
(Master’s at university of applied
sciences, Licentiate at university,
Medical Specialty Training)
Table 2: How many of international higher education graduates of 2007 have stayed and
found employment in Finland, by level of study (Source: Statistics Finland)
Number
of international
graduates
in 2007
Share
Share in
Share of
of all
employment
these in
graduates
of those
Finland
employed
who stayed
in 2008, %
in Finland,
in Finland,
%
%
Total of all fields
1 332
67 %
49 %
73 %
Humanities and
Education
102
72 %
44 %
62 %
Culture
115
64 %
37 %
58 %
Social Sciences, Business
and Administration
337
61 %
41 %
69 %
Natural Sciences
155
74 %
52 %
70 %
Technology, Communication and Transport
372
69 %
54 %
78 %
Natural Resources and
the Environment
44
46 %
32 %
70 %
Social Services, Health
and Sport
185
74 %
65 %
88 %
Tourism, Catering and
Domestic Services
22
73 %
50 %
69 %
Table 3: How many of international graduates of 2007 have stayed and found
employment in Finland, by field of study (Source: Statistics Finland)
Finnish labour market
makes scant use of
international graduates’
skills
Most international students – 73% –
who have stayed in Finland have found
a job. Around a tenth (6%) have taken
up education and training leading to
a second qualification, and 4% are
unemployed. As many as 17% of those
who have stayed in Finland are classified as “otherwise outside the labour
force”. This refers to persons who are
not in employment, have not signed up
as unemployed and are not in education and training leading to a qualification. The Statistics Finland data
does not, however, reveal the nature of
the employment of the international
students who have stayed in Finland.
Have they found a job that corresponds
to their education and training or are
they doing unskilled jobs? At least
some of those in employment may have
had to make do with jobs which do not
match their education.
The employment picture of international students changes, if we study
the number of those who have found
a job in Finland against the number
of all international graduates of 2007
and not only against those who have
stayed in Finland. In this case, fewer
than half or 49% of the graduates were
in employment in Finland one year
after graduation. More than half of the
international students with a higher
education degree in Finland thus end
up using their skills and competences
outside the Finnish working life, either
by choice or involuntarily. The Finnish
labour market does not appear to make
very active use of foreign nationals’
skills.
Finnish nationals find employment to a much greater extent than
do foreign nationals. Of the Finnish
nationals who graduated from higher
education in 2007, 86% had found a
job in Finland. Of the rest, 2% were
living abroad, 4% were unemployed,
5% were in education and training
leading to a qualification, and 3% were
otherwise outside the labour force.
FACTS EXPRESS
2 /2012 | do international students of higher education stay in finl and after graduation? | PAGE 4
Depending on the level of study,
foreigners find jobs in Finland to a
varying degree (table 2). Those with
a Bachelor´s degree from universities
of applied sciences are most likely to
find a job, whereas the job prospects
of those with a Master’s degree from
a university or with a doctorate have
been slightly poorer. The least well
employed are those with a Bachelor’s
degree from universities, but almost
half of them went on to further study
after graduation, which is also the
case with Finnish students with a
Bachelor’s degree. As many as 30%
of the international students who had
completed a doctorate were in the
group labelled as “otherwise outside
the labour force”.
Different fields lead to differing
job prospects (table 3). By far the best
prospects have been with students of
Social Services, Health and Sport.
Students of Technology, Communication and Transport have also found
jobs relatively well. However, international students in, for example, Social
Sciences, Business and Administration have not reached an average rate
of employment, and the worst off are
students of Culture, and of Natural
Resources and the Environment. Students of fields with a good track record
of employment on average remain
in Finland to a greater extent. This
becomes evident when we compare
the fields of study in table 3 in terms
of those to have found employment in
Finland and who have stayed here.
The student’s nationality may also
have a bearing on finding a job. According to Magdalena Jaakkola’s study
(2005, 69), Finns are most positive
about foreigners who come from a culturally similar background and from
countries of a high standard of living.
Immigrants from these countries are
on average more likely to find a job.
There are exceptions, too, as Indian
and Chinese immigrants, for example,
have been successful in securing employment (Heikkilä and Pikkarainen
2008, 56). The study by Elli Heikkilä
and Maria Pikkarainen comprised all
immigrants, not just higher education
graduates. While their data comes
from 2004 and the situation may have
changed since, it is clear that there are
differences in the employment rates
between nationalities.
The Statistics Finland data which
is the basis of our survey does not
Statistics keep quiet about how many
foreign nationals resident in Finland
have arrived here for the purpose of study
Statistics Finland data makes no distinction between foreign nationals
who are long-term residents in Finland for reasons other than study and
those who have come to Finland for the purpose of study. This is a handicap in keeping tabs on international student mobility. The distinction is
crucial, for those who have come to Finland to study have fewer Finnish
networks and are more likely to switch countries more easily after graduation. If we want to assess the internationalisation of Finnish higher education also in terms of the integration of students recruited to Finland,
statistics should be improved so as to make the distinction.
It is possible to gauge the share of foreign nationals who have arrived
in Finland for the purpose of study by making use of another Statistics
Finland data set. This data combines foreign nationality with information of the country of a person’s previous education. According to this data,
the great majority or 88% of the international graduates of 2009 had completed their previous education and training abroad. Let us assume that the
figure also applies to those foreign nationals who took their higher education degree in 2007. Even if those who had stayed in Finland included all
who had completed their previous education and training in Finland, the
majority (63%) of the students recruited from abroad, too, were still
in Finland one year after graduation.
The best job prospects have
been with students of Social
Services, Health and Sport,
the worst off are students of
Culture, and Natural Resources
and the Environment.
show how staying and finding a job in
Finland vary according to nationality.
We know, however, that of the international students in Finnish higher
education it is the nationals of China,
Russia, Estonia, Germany and Sweden
who complete the most degrees. At
the same time, the number of students
from Asian and African countries is
rising rapidly. Their finding employment in Finland may, according to
Jaakkola’s results, be culturally more
challenging. Jaakkola, Magdalena: Suomalaisten suhtautuminen
maahanmuuttajiin vuosina 1987–2003. Työpoliittinen
tutkimus 286. Työministeriö. Helsinki 2005. [The
Attitudes of Finns towards Immigrants in 1987–2003.
Labour Policy Studies 286. Ministry of Labour.]
Heikkilä, Elli & Pikkarainen, Maria: Väestö ja työvoiman kansainvälistyminen nyt ja tulevaisuudessa.
Siirtolaisuustutkimuksia A 30. Siirtolaisuusinstituutti.
Turku 2008/2003 [Internationalization of Population
and Labour Force from the Present to the Future.
Migration Studies A 30. Institute of Migration.]
Kinnunen, Taina: If I can find a good job after graduation, I may stay. Ulkomaalaisten tutkinto-opiskelijoiden integroituminen Suomeen. Kansainvälisen
henkilövaihdon keskus CIMO ja Opiskelijajärjestöjen
tutkimussäätiö Otus rs. Occasional Paper 2b [If I can
find a good job after graduation, I may stay. Integration of International Degree Students in Finland.
Centre for International Mobility CIMO and Student
Organisations’ Research Foundation OTUS.]
Niemelä, Anna: Kansainväliset tutkinto-opiskelijat
Suomen yliopistoissa. Suomen ylioppilaskuntien liitto
(SYL) ry ja Opiskelijajärjestöjen tutkimussäätiö Otus
rs. 2008 [International Degree Students in Finnish
Universities. National Union of University Students
in Finland SYL and Student Organisations’ Research
Foundation OTUS.]
Suomen ammattikorkeakouluopiskelijoiden liitto
SAMOK ry: We need more English information about
our study, life in Finland and this country. Tutkimus
ulkomaisten tutkinto-opiskelijoiden asemasta
Suomen ammattikorkeakouluissa vuonna 2007.
SAMOK julkaisut 2008. [Union of Students in Finnish
Universities of Applied Sciences SAMOK: We need
more English information about our study, life in
Finland and this country. A Study on the Position
of International Degree Students in the Finnish
Universities of Applied Sciences in 2007. SAMOK
publications.]
ISSN 2242-296X (pdf) I ISBN78-957-805-539-9 (pdf) Photo: Satu Haavisto