Finland Times

Immigrant spouses of Finns believe the worst problems in Finland are high prices, poor employment opportunities and linguistic difficulties, reports a survey.

According to the survey conducted on immigration, Finland received the highest marks for security and social welfare. Next were the education system and Finland’s natural resources.

Researcher Heli Sjöblom-Immala said the online survey dealt with multicultural family satisfaction and migration plans.

The questionnaire was answered by 200 immigrants and their spouses. Of those surveyed, the women were mostly Russian, Estonian, and Thai and the men British and Turkish.

According to the respondents, there are not enough language courses. The courses offered are too short and held during the day, which often conflicts with employment.

Foreigners do not feel that they receive enough help from the employment office (TE-office), but are rather left to fend for themselves.

Four out of five immigrants, however, were satisfied overall with life in Finland. The most satisfied ones were the Russians and Estonians, and the Turks the least. Only 15 per cent of those surveyed planned to migrate abroad.

In 2012, there were 47,000 multicultural families in Finland, and the number is steadily rising. The divorce rate in these marriages, though, is three times higher than with marriages between Finns.

The study report was published in the Municipal Development Foundation publication on Monday.