Moving towards an inclusive Job Market Finland
June is Pride Month, both in Finland and around the world. There is still room for improvement in the Finnish world of work when it comes to the realisation of the rights of sexual and gender minorities. Still, we are making constant progress. Even Job Market Finland has made a number of choices aimed at promoting equality.
Job Market Finland offers information on what to do with discrimination and how to promote equality in your work community
One of employees’ rights is to be able to work without discrimination. Under the Non-Discrimination Act, no one may be discriminated against because of things like sexual orientation or other personal characteristics. Compliance with the act is is monitored by the Ombudsman and labour protection authorities. The Ombudsman has the authority to oversee compliance with the Non-Discrimination Act not only in general but also in individual cases of discrimination.
Workplace equality must be promoted especially in pay, working conditions, terms of employment, and career development. Employers must treat everyone equally when it comes to recruitment, orientation, promotions, dismissals, and the division of duties. You can find information on reporting and preventing discrimination at Job Market Finland.
There is diversity in every work community. Fair and equal treatment affects employees’ motivation and well-being at work. In addition to equal treatment, employers at workplaces with more than 30 employees have an obligation to draw up and maintain an equality plan. When writing content for Job Market Finland, we have kept in mind that people need information on these matters.
Anonymous job applicant profiles and gender-neutral job titles draw attention to skills
The professional and competence vocabulary used at Job Market Finland is based on the Europe-wide ESCO vocabulary. Anyone, regardless of their age, gender, or skin colour, can apply for any profession or job, and we want to encourage job seekers to apply for different positions based on their own interests and skills. For this reason, the ESCO-based occupational titles at Job Market Finland are gender-neutral. If you notice that a title or competence is missing, you can suggest adding it.
At Job Market Finland, the job seeker publishes their job applicant profile anonymously, so only their previous experience and skills are visible to employers. This way, employers will search for employees and select the ones they want to interview based on skills alone, which reduces the impact of even unconscious prejudices on decisions.
A good job posting is not discriminatory
Job postings published at Job Market Finland have to meet certain quality requirements. The most important thing in job postings is to highlight the skills that are required for the role. The postings must not discriminate against job seekers on the grounds of age, ethnic or national origin, nationality, language, family, or gender. Asking for a photograph is discriminatory unless it is clearly justified, such as when hiring models or actors.
A good job posting clearly describes – in addition to the characteristics expected of the job seeker – the organisation, what tasks the job includes, and where the workplace is located.
Job Market Finland allows you to report a job posting if you feel that it violates good practices or the law.