What does it take for internationals to build meaningful careers and truly feel they belong in Finland? While many arrive with valuable education, professional experience and strong motivation, their career journeys are too often shaped by structural barriers rather than a lack of skills or commitment.

The Career Compass report, Horizontal Mobility Without Progression, developed within the Nordplus Horizontal programme, explores these challenges through research and discussions with internationals, employers and integration professionals. The findings reveal that improving employment outcomes requires more than language learning alone—it calls for better recognition of international competence, stronger cooperation between public services, educational institutions and employers, accessible career guidance, and greater attention to wellbeing and belonging.

In this article, two internationals living in Finland – Sadaf Bilal and Jordi Storm – share their personal experiences and reflections from the Career Compass roundtable discussions organized by What The Finland. Their perspectives highlight not only the barriers that many internationals continue to face, but also practical solutions that can help create more inclusive career pathways and stronger communities where everyone has the opportunity to contribute and thrive.

Read full article here: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/building-better-career-pathways-belonging-internationals-e6pdf