International recruitment is not growing as expected – language requirements and market conditions are slowing development

According to a recent survey examining companies in North Savo, the need for recruitment has slightly decreased, but recruitment remains relevant for nearly half of the region’s companies. The use of international talent has not increased as expected, and development is being slowed particularly by the overall market situation as well as language requirements. At the same time, challenges related to the availability of labour persist: gaps in skills, limited work experience, and regional attractiveness factors continue to affect the success of recruitment.

The results are based on telephone interviews conducted in March 2026 with 127 companies from North Savo employing at least five people. The survey is a continuation of a similar study carried out one year earlier.

Most companies are aiming for growth

The majority of companies in North Savo are growth-oriented. Of the companies, 43% have clear growth targets and plans, and 39% have growth targets without a clear plan. The most important enablers of growth identified by companies are employer image, access to skilled labour, as well as financing and investments.

Growth, in turn, is constrained particularly by the general economic situation, the availability of financing, and factors related to regional vitality.

Recruitment challenges are primarily related to skills

While the need for recruitment has remained, some companies are not recruiting at all. According to the study, 20% of companies are currently recruiting and 28% are planning recruitment in the near future, but 52% do not currently need additional personnel. Although recruitment concerns nearly half of the companies, the overall need has slightly decreased compared to 2025. At the same time, the share of companies with no recruitment needs at all has increased.

Companies that are recruiting are primarily looking for employees for operational roles (57%), but a significant number are also recruiting for expert positions (31%).

More than half of the companies (53%) report having at least occasionally experienced difficulties in finding labour. The most significant challenges include gaps in applicants’ skills and education, insufficient work experience, factors related to the attractiveness of the company’s location, as well as the lack of appeal of the industry or working conditions.

In open responses, additional challenges highlighted include the limited availability of skilled labour, regional location and labour mobility, and issues related to applicants’ commitment and readiness.

Limited use of international talent – support needed for language development

International talent is employed in approximately one in four companies (24%), but the majority (63%) have no need to recruit foreign labour, even though the international recruitment process is, on average, considered to function reasonably well.

The main reasons identified were:

• requirements for Finnish language skills
• sufficient availability of domestic labour
• the local nature or small size of the company

Companies also rate their own readiness to receive international talent as relatively modest (average score 2.82 on a scale of 1–5). The single most significant challenge is Finnish language proficiency, which affects, for example, understanding work instructions, customer service, and the functioning of the work community.

In the survey, language proficiency clearly emerges as the most important area for development compared to other support needs, such as work permits and bureaucracy as well as legal expertise.

Regional attractiveness and retention are built on everyday factors

According to companies, the most important factors influencing regional attractiveness and retention for employees are: safety, availability of services, availability of housing, and location and transport connections.

Nature, regional image, and family-friendliness also support the region’s attractiveness, but job availability alone is not sufficient if everyday life factors are not functioning well.

Key changes compared to 2025

The 2026 results show several shifts compared to the previous year. The need for recruitment has slightly decreased, and the share of companies that currently do not need new employees has increased (46% → 52%). At the same time, the share of companies reporting recruitment plans has declined.

Recruitment challenges remain common, but their prevalence has decreased: in particular, the share of companies frequently experiencing challenges has dropped significantly (17% → 9%).

With regard to international talent, the development has been in the opposite direction. Companies more often state that they do not need to recruit foreign labour (58% → 63%), and the number of companies with concrete plans to recruit from abroad has also decreased. At the same time, the international recruitment process is perceived as more challenging than before (average 3.63 → 3.14).

Companies’ growth orientation has remained strong, but clearly planned growth has slightly decreased.

Overall, the results suggest that the recruitment market has somewhat stabilised, and at the same time interest in international labour has not increased, but has instead slightly weakened.

Awareness of the Talent First project has slightly increased

The study shows that the regional Talent First project is still unknown to many companies, but nearly one-quarter of respondents expressed interest in cooperation. For companies, the most important forms of cooperation are the development of regional attractiveness and retention, network-based cooperation, and the impact of communications and marketing. Awareness of the Talent First project has increased (9% → 15%), although the majority of interviewed companies are still unfamiliar with it.