The new decree provides flexibility for holders of residence permit for an employed person in job searching and wants to facilitate the supply of labor

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The Government issued a decree on sectors with labour shortages in which the holders of residence permits for employed persons may seek work more flexibly. At the same time, the Government wants to facilitate the supply of labour in sectors suffering from labour shortages. The decree issued under the Aliens Act will enter into force on 11 June 2025 and will remain in force for one year.

The right to work of a holder of a residence permit for an employed person will be extended in accordance with the Government Programme. Going forward, the holder may, in addition to the field of employment for which the permit was originally granted, work in sectors identified as labour shortage sectors by the decree. As long as the residence permit is still valid, seeking work in a labour shortage sector does not require a new residence permit. This extension will apply to residence permits for an employed person, where the permit has been issued for a specific field or fields of employment.

The fields of employment that are currently estimated to have problems with the availability of labour throughout the country are

  • general practitioners,
  • chief physicians and medical specialists,
  • audiologists and speech therapists,
  • process operators for processing of metals,
  • nurses, etc.,
  • dental hygienists,
  • funeral service workers,
  • practical nurses and
  • firefighters.

However, a mid-term review of the sectors will be carried out six months after the entry into force of the decree, with changes possible at that point.

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More information

Government issues a decree on current labour shortage sectors (tem.fi)