Career pathways for international graduates entering the Finnish finance, accounting, and auditing workforce : challenges and strategies
Ganwarige, Nisansala (2026)
2026
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2026051813106
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2026051813106
Tiivistelmä
The labour market in Finland is paradoxical in nature because of growing skills shortages in the finance, accounting, and auditing sectors, while experiencing high unemployment rates among international graduates. In response to that problem, the study examined the career pathways of international graduates entering the Finnish workforce in these knowledge-based professions. The key employment challenges faced by international graduates, employers’ expectations, and strategies to improve employability outcomes were identified as the main objective of the study.
A qualitative research method was adopted with semi-structured thematic interviews for data collection. As respondents, five international graduates and two recruiters were interviewed who were already employed in finance, accounting, or auditing roles in Finland. The data were analysed using Braun and Clarke's six-phase thematic analysis framework. The Employability theory and Bourdieu's theory of social and cultural capital were used as analytical lenses.
The findings indicate that Finnish language proficiency, limited professional networks, credential recognition, and lack of local work experience are the main barriers to employment. Employers expect a combination of technical and digital skills, soft skills and emotional intelligence, local regulatory knowledge, and recognisable prior experience from multinational or Big 4 companies. The most effective employability strategies include active networking, strategic application customisation, Finnish language learning, leveraging prior recognisable experience, and maintaining a professional online presence. Employability is not determined solely by individual qualifications but is shaped by the interaction of personal competencies, social capital, and structural labour market conditions.
A qualitative research method was adopted with semi-structured thematic interviews for data collection. As respondents, five international graduates and two recruiters were interviewed who were already employed in finance, accounting, or auditing roles in Finland. The data were analysed using Braun and Clarke's six-phase thematic analysis framework. The Employability theory and Bourdieu's theory of social and cultural capital were used as analytical lenses.
The findings indicate that Finnish language proficiency, limited professional networks, credential recognition, and lack of local work experience are the main barriers to employment. Employers expect a combination of technical and digital skills, soft skills and emotional intelligence, local regulatory knowledge, and recognisable prior experience from multinational or Big 4 companies. The most effective employability strategies include active networking, strategic application customisation, Finnish language learning, leveraging prior recognisable experience, and maintaining a professional online presence. Employability is not determined solely by individual qualifications but is shaped by the interaction of personal competencies, social capital, and structural labour market conditions.