Oulu is an international city today, and will be so more and more moving forward.
According to Statistics Finland, the number of Oulu's residents with a foreign mother tongue had more than doubled from 2013 to 2023. In 2024, Oulu experienced a net internal migration gain of just three persons, while 1230 people moved to Oulu from abroad.
Oulu is growing ever more international, and this is exactly what our city needs to stay vibrant in the future.
The rapidly deteriorating demographic dependency ratio of Finland and Oulu leads to a situation where not enough children are born to sustain the current level of public services or provide care for the aging population. As the working-age population declines, local businesses are also expected to face increasing labor shortages.
Thanks to immigration, population growth in Finland and Oulu has remained positive. We will continue to need immigration to keep Oulu vibrant. However, the high unemployment rate among immigrants in Oulu highlights the need for effective and high-quality integration services. Successful integration strengthens the city’s ability to benefit from its new workforce and helps prevent social exclusion.
In Oulu, integration is promoted through several municipal and regional services, including the City of Oulu’s Integration Services, International House, Villa Victor, and OSKE. These institutions play an important role in supporting the city’s growing immigrant population. In addition to public services, it is essential to utilize available EU funding for integration efforts.
A 2023 study by Statistics Finland found that the most significant barrier to employment for immigrants in Finland is insufficient language skills. Finland’s national EU structural funding program "Innovation and Skills in Finland 2021–2027" includes a theme entitled “Working life of immigrants in Finland: work, skills and inclusion” and it's three of four focus areas relate to language support and services.
Improving Finnish language proficiency is a key measure for enhancing employment outcomes for immigrants in Oulu, and for enabling broader integration into the local community and society.
Labor market-oriented projects often require close cooperation between educational institutions, employers, and providers of social support. The role of municipalities in coordinating and facilitating such projects can be significant or negligible – depending on the political leadership in the local council. One of the key responsibilities of the next Oulu City Council will be to actively promote immigrant integration and to fully harness the opportunities provided by EU funding.
Remember to vote this Sunday: the future of Oulu will be decided once again for the next four years.