Citizens’ views on labour migration are being gathered on an unprecedented scale to support decision-making

Broad citizen participation can help address important but divisive societal issues. Although several methods for public dialogue exist, they have not yet been widely used in Finland.

In the coming months, the views of Finns and people living in Finland on labour migration will be explored on an exceptionally broad scale.

Sitra has launched the Future of Labour Migration project together with the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment. The project will gather citizens’ views on labour migration using three different methods. The aim is to strengthen the knowledge base and legitimacy of decision-making.

Labour migration was chosen as the theme because it is linked to Finland’s economic growth, demographic development, skills needs and social trust. It is a complex issue that divides opinion and evokes a range of emotions.

Beyond economic and labour market considerations, labour migration is connected to people’s sense of belonging in society, perceptions of fairness and expectations for the future.

The project will use three methods of citizen participation.

1. Citizen dialogues starting in May. As part of the National Dialogues, discussions will be held under the theme “Tomorrow’s working life – How will Finland change as a result of labour migration?”. The aim is to build understanding of labour migration and the challenges and opportunities associated with it. The dialogues will gather experiential knowledge, particularly from immigrant organisations and representatives of business and industry.
2. Discussion on the digital Voxit platform in August. A large, low-threshold online discussion will be held on the digital platform. Analysis of participants’ responses will help identify which aspects of labour migration enjoy broad agreement among Finns and which themes divide opinion. The sustainable development company Motiva is responsible for carrying out the Voxit discussion.
3. Deliberative citizens’ assembly begins in November: A representative group selected by random sampling will examine the theme in depth, take part in facilitated discussions, consider different perspectives and produce well-reasoned statements and concrete proposals for solutions. The citizens’ assembly is the largest one ever organised in Finland to produce recommendations: invitations will be sent to 20,000 Finns. From among them, 100 participants will be selected. The citizens’ assembly will meet over two weekends in Helsinki, with remote sessions taking place in between. The assembly will be coordinated by the Research Group for Innovating Democracy (RIDE) at the University of Turku.

This is the first time that several methods of citizen participation have been combined on such a broad scale to address a socially significant issue.

“Nationwide participation methods support decision-making on challenging and divisive issues. Successful examples can be found, for instance, in Ireland and France. Our aim is to show that citizen participation can also support the resolution of challenging societal issues in Finland,” says Hannu-Pekka Ikäheimo, Director of Sitra’s Democracy Innovations programme.

Citizens’ views will be compiled and published in early 2027. They will also be used throughout the process by various public administration organisations. The overall impact assessment of the process will be carried out by the University of Turku, which will complete its work by September 2027.

The Future of Labour Migration project is supported by an expert group, and its findings will be shared with various expert organisations throughout the process. In addition, Sitra’s Kuutio process will be organised in November, bringing together a broad group of experts and decision-makers in the field to develop a shared understanding and identify potential solutions.

contact

Antti Lehtinen

Senior Lead, Communications

Heikki Lauha

Specialist, Democracy Innovations Programme

Kirsi Hantula

Senior Lead, Democracy Innovations Programme