There is a Finnish government proposal that will be brought to parliament to reduce unemployment payments for people who don't speak the Finnish (or Swedish) language well enough. Now, that might sound like a good move, but the problem is that like many countries, Finland has an aging population and a dramatically falling birthrate - so, where are they going to get people from?
As you will note though, this is "unemployment" money, so essentially the people they want will have jobs. And, like me who doesn't speak Finnish (well enough), there are jobs that are English speaking, because many of the companies are international and their corporate language is English.
However, for someone coming to the country for work with the intention to settle, they have to look at the entire ecosystem for them, and not having the same safety net as locals, doesn't bode well. It increases the risk a lot of making a life in Finland, and will probably turn many of the better people away, those who will unlikely need the support anyway. For instance, I haven't taken any support, but I pay more tax than the average Finn, as I earn VAT for the government through my business, as well as pay tax on my business earnings, as well as tax on my employed work.
What happens if I have to go on social support for some period of time?
After twenty years in the country, still not speaking the language anywhere near well enough for business, and after building a life here and supporting others to grow their businesses internationally - I get treated worse than others. That doesn't sound very attractive.
And, when it comes to "speaking the language well enough", I know people who are fluent in Finnish, yet would not be considered for a Finnish speaking job, because they are never going to be as good in the language as a Finn. However, they would be considered for a job above a Finn if they bring something to the table Finnish candidates might not, like international experience, fluency of language, interpersonal skills.
I do believe that people who live in a country should try to learn the language, but as an ex-language teacher, I also know that there are people who have a far harder time to learn than others, no matter how much effort they put in. It is like math, some people get it easily, some people never will. If everyone had to do a complex math test to get their unemployment support, would that be fair? What if you had to be able to run 100 meters under 14 seconds?
It would be great of course if everyone that came into the country could snap their fingers and speak the language, but at the same time, Finland is a small country and looking to both expand business further internationally and, bring in skilled workers. Skilled workers don't need to speak the language.
Finns speak English.
It is very rare that someone under the age of forty doesn't speak English, it is rare for someone under sixty these days. This is why I pivoted from being a Business English trainer, into being a Business Skills Trainer, because the need for English training was petering out fast, but the need for building the skills around doing international business was growing. Speaking the language isn't enough, there is a group of skills required that differ, and if all the foreigners are speaking Finnish, how are the Finns going to practice them?
And as said, this is only an issue for the unemployed, but if foreigners are penalized for not speaking the language, should they get a bonus for having a job in order to mitigate the risks? For instance, should I pay 2% less tax than a Finn earning the equivalent, because if I do happen to find myself unemployed, I wouldn't earn as much as that person?
Doesn't seem fair, does it?
If the intention is the incentive to get foreigners to learn the language, this might work, but if the incentive is to get them into work, they should incentivize the working position.
What is also interesting, is that this proposal will first have to pass through the constitutional hearing, because in the constitution, it is said that there can't be discrimination based on various traits, including language. I assume they are hoping that they will fly it under the radar saying that that part of the constitution only applies to citizens, and they are bringing in language testing to get citizenship, which means I will never be a citizen here.
Ultimately though, I believe people shouldn't be maintained on social security, unless they have no other option. However, the vast majority of people who are currently unemployed, do have options, but they are unwilling to take them. Most cleaning jobs are filled by foreigners for instance, but there are still openings available - yet most people on unemployment benefits are Finns. Shouldn't they fill all the jobs first? Shouldn't there be a penalty for choosing not to work, even though they have the necessary Finnish skills?
What I do think though, is that this isn't a significant place to save money, so their reasoning to do it is not budgetary. Instead, what they are doing is exerting force on social groups and social engineering, which vis going to lead to further fragmentation and increased racism in the country, and this already causing large issues in the current coalition government.
It is going to be interesting to see how this progresses in the next few years and how my daughter is going to manage what she faces, as she is going to blend right into the local crowd, and hear all kinds of things about people like her father.
She will understand the language.
but what will she say?
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]
