President Ilkka Niemelä to employers: ’Let’s connect each student with Finnish working life’

Career opportunities for international talent is currently a topic of rigorous public debate, with questions surrounding whether people with an international background can or want to stay in Finland long-term. Times are tough on the job market, but we should keep our eye on the future.  

With the ageing population and decreasing number of people actively employed, economic growth in Finland is based on increasing productivity. In practice, this means new technologies, new ideas, innovations, and education. For example, carrying out the new investments in research and development, as committed by the Finnish government, requires 9 000 additional professionals on top of the current volume of graduates with higher education. 

Finland's future depends on research, education, innovation – and integrating international talent. 

Aalto is Finland's most international university, with 49 percent of our academic personnel coming from outside Finland and students from 135 different countries. When we look at projects aimed at commercialising research-based innovations, 56 percent of teams include experts from outside of Finland.  

We’ll help each employer and student that contacts us 

Aalto University President Ilkka Niemelä opened the 15th academic year on 3 September 2024. In his speech, he spoke directly to Finnish employers: ’Let’s work together to make sure that all students build connections to Finnish working life. At Aalto we have ways of helping students but we can’t do it alone: we need help from industry and other partners.’ 

With the campaign, Aalto aims at expanding all its on-going activities to connect students with Finnish working life. The university invites employers to the campaign site (aalto.fi/talent) through which they can post a job advertisement, find information on thesis collaborations, sign up for career and recruitment events, give a challenge to students to solve as a study project, or become a mentor in the Aalto International Talent program. 

Since the Aalto International Talent Program was launched four years ago, over 700 international master's students and doctoral researchers and over 30 companies have participated in its group mentoring activities. 

Aalto is committed to building connections to working life by helping each employer and student who gets in contact through the campaign. 

Half of Aalto’s international graduates are employed in Finland one year after graduation 

When Aalto University was created 15 years ago, it received a mission to advance Finland’s internationalisation.   

Today, half of Aalto’s international graduates are employed in Finland one year after graduation. 

’I’ve noticed that this fact positively surprises many people. While I’m proud of Aaltonians’ achievements, I want to challenge our society: we can still increase the employment rate of our international talent,’ Ilkka Niemelä says. 

“Finding a job in your field requires more than a diploma: understanding how Finnish workplaces function, networks, and concrete experience all play a part.” 


The article was edited 16.9.2024 by deleting a sentence claiming that two-thirds (64.3%) of our international graduates from the last 15 years still live in this country. The figure was based on the address register of the Digital and population data services agency (DVV).