Facilitating the employment of international students and higher education graduates

Based on the OECD Economic Survey (2025), immigrants in Finland face several key barriers, including language proficiency, a lack of professional networks and internship opportunities. Therefore, international talent has major challenges in transitioning into workforce, contributing to Finland’s low retention rate of foreign graduates. It is reported (OECD 2025) that, around one-third of foreign graduates leave Finland within a year after their graduation.

The Immigrants as Business Mentors (IMIB Network) project is a compelling example of how international talent can be better integrated into working life in Finland. As the project comes to an end, it is a perfect opportunity to reflect on the accomplishments, challenges, the lessons we will take forward.

Feedback from participating companies and international talent has highlighted the real value of projects and initiatives like IMIB Network. It has reminded us that successful projects are built on care, openness, and a genuine willingness to recognize and respond to shortcomings in one society.

For myself, as a lecturer with international background, the project showed once again, that one opportunity can become a defining moment of a professional growth. Let us create these chances and shift our focus to openness and interconnectedness by creating opportunities for meaningful encounter and collaboration.

Integration through entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship as a business creation has a significant part of Finland’s economic growth. Based on the Suomen Yrittajat statistics 40 percent of Finland’s GDP is contributed by entrepreneurs. The startup ecosystem contributes six percent of Finland’s GDP. Therefore, startups and SMEs are important segments of the Finnish economy. (Suomen Yrittäjät 2024).

The IMIB project addressed the challenges of international talent by offering students opportunities to build professional networks and gain practical experience, and useful tools to build their careers. Our Business mentoring model created opportunities for international talent to gain short working experience in a Finnish company. The Entrepreneurial path served as a supporter and facilitator for individuals of migrant background to venture into finding or developing their entrepreneurial mindset and business ideas.

Joronen’s (2002) study suggests that immigrant entrepreneurship is shaped by a combination of individual resources (education, networks, experience) and structural factors (policies, labour market access, and social attitudes).

Participants reported that the Entrepreneurship pathway provided them with both opportunities to create their professional networks and learn from international entrepreneurs who have already paved the way. Expanding networks and relationship building were particularly emphasized. Several participants highlighted the practical advice and experience from entrepreneurs as a valuable segment of the project. One participant mentioned that, after hearing foreign entrepreneurs’ personal stories, they visualized themselves as an entrepreneur and this helped them gain confidence.

The immigrant mindset reflects an entrepreneurial spirit

In his Harvard Business Review article, Glenn Lopis (2012) he argues that an immigrant mindset helps all individuals to position themselves as enablers of business growth and innovation. In addition, Anna Crowe in her Tedx talk (2025) conceptualizes the immigrant mindset as a combination of three qualities: resilience, adaptability and resourcefulness. Crowe and Llopis both argue that adopting this perspective or having the immigrant mindset reflects an entrepreneurial spirit: taking initiative and creating opportunities rather than waiting for them.

This understanding of the immigrant mindset was encouraged in the entrepreneurship coaching in the IMIB project. When the participants were asked about the specific benefits from the project, they mentioned the reinforcement of resilience and keep moving forward mindset, creative ways to look at situations, optimism. The entrepreneurship coaching in the project enabled them to gain insights and adopt easily different perspectives. Some have mentioned that even now it is easier for them to view the possibility of changing career paths more positively.

More opportunities for our international talents

From IMIB we learned that, however the participants were willing and had the predisposition to becoming entrepreneurs, one main obstacle remains: the marginalized society. Also, throughout the project and from research (Joronen 2002) an important structural issue was revealed: immigrant entrepreneurs tend to employ other immigrants, while Finnish entrepreneurs primarily employ native Finns. This pattern suggests that there is still segmentation and marginalization within the labour market, which may limit the integration and equal opportunity for international talents. .

Within the project, the participating companies showed willingness to further explore the possibilities for employing individuals with international background. At the same time, international talent expressed strong hope that more companies will join these efforts.

Recent research (Kauhanen & DeVaro 2024; Maczulskij 2025) support the notion that international talent has positive effects on company performances by boosting processes and product innovation. In fact, Koski (2024) reported that immigrant inventors were involved in 60 percent of Finnish patents. Additionally, the Finnish Productivity Board (2023) reported that highly skilled immigrants introduce new knowledge, ideas and perspectives which improve the efficiency and the effectiveness in fields such as information and communication, healthcare and engineering.

Based on the gained experiences from the project, individuals need support, encouragement to strengthen their belief that they are able and have the capacity to become entrepreneurs. The Entrepreneurship path consolidated many participants with different skills and background knowledge. Throughout the project these participants were supported through collaborative workshops which strengthen their inner belief and gave them a nudge to regain their courage (Bethell, Pöyry & Rivera-Macias 2026).

Shifting the focus from differences to valuable potential

Previous studies (Joronen 2002) suggest that successful immigrant entrepreneurship in Finland is an outcome of prior working experience in a Finnish company and established professional networks. For international talent it is important to gain knowledge in Finnish business and culture which can serve as a base for creating their own business. Additionally, developing and expanding their professional network in Finland is essential for initially acquiring a job and later for building their own business.

Therefore, initiatives such as IMIB project have a great potential when paired with systematic support by different stakeholders. The project showcased the tools and approaches needed to encourage immigrants to pursue new challenges, while also demonstrating to Finnish companies the valuable potential that international talent can bring.

The host society must remain open to providing immigrants with meaningful employment opportunities that enable them to gain experience and build networks. At the same time, policymakers and educational institutions need to support companies in integrating international talent and create pathways that encourage immigrants to develop the confidence and capacity to pursue entrepreneurship.

The companies that joined the the project showed that, by being willing to take the first step and give people a genuine chance, they discovered capabilities and possible contributions that otherwise would have remained unseen. The focus should shift from whether the international person fits in the organization to what new perspectives, expertise and opportunities they might bring.

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