The task of finding a job in Finland — in particular for someone who moved to the country as an adult — is notoriously difficult, as has been well and widely documented.

Newcomers face a multitude of hurdles, including a significant language barrier, the lack of a local network, as well as the apparent name-based discrimination by Finnish employers.

On the All Points North on Video podcast this week, we delve into the challenges and also the human consequences of those challenges — an aspect that is often overlooked.

"It can be very bad for people's mental health, as it can lower someone's sense of self-worth," freelance designer Pieter den Heten tells the show.

"The workplace, also in Finland, is still a place where you can engage with people on a social level, so it can be quite isolating."

Megha Goswami of the Couple of Expats social media account meanwhile expressed her concerns about the uncertain future many international workers face in Finland.

"I hope Finland is able to stop losing talent. If people are unhappy, if people are not getting the opportunities that they are looking for, they're going to leave," she noted.

You can watch the full episode from the video at the top of the page or on our YouTube channel.

Tell us what you think!

Ronan Browne produced and presented this episode of All Points North. The sound and video engineers were Juha Hjelm and Panu Willman, and the production assistants were Matthew Schilke and Hannah Anderson.

If you have any questions or want to share your thoughts, contact us via WhatsApp at +358 44 421 0909 or at yle.news@yle.fi and allpointsnorth@yle.fi.