Influencing factors for hiring international students : a case study of MSMEs in the Tampere region

Abstract

Finland’s population is expected to age rapidly in the coming decades compared to the European Union, the OECD, and other Nordic countries resulting in potential labour shortages and financial pressure on several levels. These repercussions are seen as a threat to Finland’s welfare system and long-term economic growth. Therefore, the country needs international talents to mitigate these challenges. Finland already has a talent pool with 3000 to 4000 international students who graduate each year, however these students still find it very difficult to find an internship during their studies or work after graduation. Hence, the thesis aimed to identify and explore the key factors that influence the hiring decisions for international students with the potential of improving their employability. This study focused on MSMEs in the Tampere region commissioned by the Talent Boost Program.

The theoretical framework included an overview of the Tampere region and highlighted the importance of diversity in the workplace. Most of the research on the employability of international students so far has not paid much attention to the theory of planned behaviour. Therefore, attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control were among the other factors considered by the research to grasp a better understanding of what could influence employers’ hiring decisions. This research is a single exploratory case study in which the data were obtained from both secondary and primary sources. Secondary data were acquired from academic journal articles, official government publications, and other reliable sources. While the primary data were obtained by adopting exploratory sequential mixed methods design, where qualitative and quantitative data were collected by conducting an interview and one questionnaire.

The thesis identified and explored the main factors influencing hiring decisions for international students in the Tampere region and confirmed that the career outcomes of international students are influenced not only by their qualifications but also by employers' attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control along with other key factors associated with recruitment channels, language proficiency and company resources. Thus, improving the employability of international students requires a long-term action plan that needs cross-level cooperation between all stakeholders in the Tampere region.