Thousands apply to relocate to Finland as country seeks to lure foreign tech workers

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Thousands apply to relocate to Finland as country seeks to lure foreign tech workers
Miemo Penttinen - miemo.net / Getty Images
  • Over 3,500 people have applied to Finland's new "90-Day Finn" program, which offers foreign workers and their families a chance to live in the country for 90 days to see if they want to permanently relocate to the Nordic country.
  • Successful applicants get housing, school, daycare, networking opportunities, and places to work remotely. The program can also assist with permanent residency if applicants choose to seek it.
  • Employees of US and Canadian tech companies — many of whom no longer have to report to in physical offices — have shown the most interest in the program and account for nearly 30% of applications, according to The Guardian's Jon Henley.
  • Finland, which has ranked as the world's happiest country for three years in a row, has a startup scene worth nearly $7 billion, as reported by The Guardian. Tech giants such as Google and GE Healthcare have already opened offices in the nation, and it has the highest number of digital startups per capita in the world.
  • Most of the 90-Day Finn applicants were planning to work remotely, according to Johanna Huurre, marketing and communications director at Helsinki Business Hub. More than 800 applicants sought to launch a startup, 60 were investors, and the rest were looking for jobs.
  • Halla added that many applicants, especially those from the US, were also drawn to the universal healthcare Finland offers, its cultural emphasis on healthy work-life balance, and the way the Finnish government has dealt with the coronavirus pandemic.
  • Applications for the program opened on November 4 and closed on December 10. Those selected for the program will begin starting in February 2021.
  • "It's been a great campaign to showcase Finland," Joonas Halla, of Business Finland, said, according to The Guardian. "What's good is the practical approach. The tech sector here is really thriving – by one estimate it should create 50,000 new jobs in 2021. We need the talent."
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