Turku struggles to retain graduates as students report poor awareness of local job opportunities

Nearly 40 percent of Finland’s university graduates move to the Uusimaa region after completing their studies, while fewer than 60 percent remain in their home regions, according to a survey by the Finnish National Agency for Education. In Southwest Finland, local employers and the Turku Chamber of Commerce are turning to mentorship programs to bridge the gap between students and businesses.

A recent survey by the Turku Chamber of Commerce’s youth division found that almost half of the city’s students feel they have little knowledge of local job opportunities—a key reason why fewer than 60 percent stay in the region after graduation. Of the 426 respondents, 60 percent expressed a desire to remain in Turku, but only 29 percent believed they would actually do so.

“These are significant figures,” said Marko Suominen, project lead for Kuilu (The Gap), an initiative aimed at connecting students with employers through mentorship and company visits. The program, which initially paired ten students—five of them international—with local business mentors, focuses on familiarising participants with regional industries while offering practical advice on job applications and workplace expectations.

Matilda Laurila, a medical technology student at the University of Turku, participated in the year-long mentorship scheme. She admitted having little prior awareness of Turku’s job market beyond major corporations, with smaller businesses remaining largely unknown. “I learned what daily work life is really like—how different it is from studying,” she said, highlighting the program’s role in demystifying career paths, from refining CVs to networking via LinkedIn. “The biggest lesson was realising how willing people are to help if you just reach out.”

The success of the pilot has prompted expansion plans for 2025, with goals to include 30–40 students from additional faculties and secure more internships and trainee positions. Suominen, who also works at Turku-based manufacturer Teräskaluste, noted that younger workers often bring tech-savvy skills that older employees may lack—a key incentive for local businesses to engage with students.

Students surveyed called for more recruitment events, flexible entry-level roles, and stronger collaboration between universities and employers to improve retention. While Uusimaa retains about 83 percent of its graduates, regions like Southwest Finland face an uphill battle—one that mentorship programs like Kuilu aim to address.