Finnish healthcare workers study Swedish to move to Sweden for better pay and working conditions

Finnish healthcare professionals near the Swedish border are enrolling in Swedish language courses in hopes of securing jobs across the border, Yle reports. The shift comes as budget cuts by Lapland’s wellbeing services county reduce local employment opportunities, while Sweden faces a severe shortage of nurses and offers higher wages.

Nurse Taija Ikäläinen, who works in intensive care, explained that she and her colleagues began studying Swedish because their future jobs might be in Sweden. “Sometimes it feels like we’re just seen as a cost burden here in Finland, and we can be moved around however they like,” she said. Many expect layoffs due to the upcoming changes.

Sweden benefits from Finland’s investment in training, receiving skilled workers whose education was funded by Finnish taxpayers. Meanwhile, Finland continues to recruit healthcare staff from Asia, despite having over 6,000 unemployed practical nurses domestically.

Satu Pyöriä, associate professor at Tampere University’s Work Research Centre, noted that political decisions have reduced the use of nursing staff in Finland. The previous government raised nurse-to-patient ratios, but the current administration is lowering them while wellbeing services counties struggle with funding. “The need for care and nursing work will grow in the coming years,” Pyöriä said, warning that Finland may soon need to lure back nurses who have moved to Sweden or Norway—possibly with recruitment bonuses.

At Kivalo Adult Education Centre in Kemi, demand for Swedish courses surged in January, with healthcare workers signing up in large numbers. A tailored course for nurses will begin in autumn, focusing on professional terminology and job opportunities in Sweden and Norway. “It’s only natural to look for work there if there’s none here,” said language instructor Elizabeth Lattu.