“Finland needs foreign workers”

芬兰议会议员 Arto Satonen

照片by Yle，Lehtikuva

芬兰的移民历史相对较短。在早期的20个世纪大量芬兰人移民到美国。后来，在1960年代，成千上万的芬兰人移民到瑞典寻找工作。与移居国外相比，移民到芬兰是一种新现象。

The history of migration in Finland is relatively short. In the early 20th century a large number of Finns emigrated to the United States. later, in the 1960’s thousands of Finnish emigrated to Sweden in search for jobs. Compared to emigration, immigration to Finland is a recent phenomenon.

即使我们今天仍然认识到成功移民的名字，例如Finlayson，Fazer和Paulig，但他们在很大程度上仍然是个例外。直到1990年代，苏联解体后才真正开始向芬兰移民。

Even though we still today recognize the names of successful immigrants such as Finlayson, Fazer and Paulig, they have largely remained an exception. It was only in the 1990’s that immigration to Finland really started, after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

关于议会中移民问题的政治讨论主要围绕庇护政策，避难所及其融合，社会职能参与率和社会福利。辩论两极分化，两个相对的方面对移民问题有着截然不同的看法。“真正的芬兰”党支配着讨论，他们对移民采取非常批判的态度。另一方面，绿党主张芬兰应实行无限制的移民政策。

The political discussion about migration in Parliament revolves mainly around asylum policy, refuges and their integration, participation rate in societal function and social benefits. The debate is very polarized, with two opposing sides having radically different views on migration. The discussion is dominated by the True Finns Party, who have a very critical approach to migration. The Greens on the other hand advocate that Finland should have an immigration policy with no restrictions.

这场辩论的中间是传统政党，例如我的民族联盟党。有时候很难在绿党和真正的芬兰人之间的激烈比赛中让我们的声音被听到。我们对人权和国际协定有着坚定的承诺。我们提倡一种实用的移民方法。我们有义务帮助那些需要国际保护的人。芬兰人口迅速老龄化也是一个事实，没有外国人的输入，我们就无法生存。 

In the middle of this debate are traditional parties, like mine, the National Coalition Party. It is sometimes difficult to make our voice heard in the shouting match between the Greens and the True Finns.  We have a strong commitment to human rights and international agreements. We advocate a practical approach to migration. We have an obligation to help those need of international protection. It is also a fact that Finland has a quickly ageing population and we cannot survive without the input of foreigners. 

COVID-19大流行改变了世界各地的劳动力市场。在大流行之前，缺乏劳动力是成长中的芬兰公司面临的最大挑战之一。大流行对劳动力市场产生了负面影响，但对外国专业人员的需求确实存在，尤其是在卫生保健部门，信息通信技术和农业领域。到2030年，芬兰的劳动力将比今天减少17万人，这只会加剧对劳动力迁移的需求。

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed labour markets all over the world. Prior to the pandemic, the lack of labour was one of the biggest challenges for growing Finnish companies. The pandemic has had a negative impact on the labour market, but the need for foreign professionals is real, in particular in the health care sector, ICT and agriculture.By 2030 the Finnish labour force will be 170 000 people less than it is today, which only accentuates the need for labour migration.

这在我认为非常重要的领域很明显：照顾老人。我们唯一可以确保老年人得到适当照顾的方法是，大规模，高效，有组织地向芬兰移民。因此，全国联盟党建议芬兰与菲律宾签署一项双边协议，以吸引护士到芬兰。德国也签署了这种协议。

This is evident in a sector that I see as very important: care for the elderly. The only way we can guarantee that our elderly are properly taken care of is through large-scale, efficient and organized labour migration to Finland. The National Coalition Party therefore proposes that Finland signs a bilateral agreement with the Philippines, to attract nurses to Finland. Germany has also signed this kind of agreement.

芬兰的高科技部门也迫切需要外国人才。全国联盟党提出了“良好雇主证书”，授予具有良好标准的公司，作为回报，他们可以在两周内获得其雇员的许可证。我们强烈反对非法雇佣行为，因此我们需要更多资源来检查雇主。

The Finnish high-tech sector is also in urgent need of foreign talents. The National Coalition Party proposes a “Good employer certificate”, which is awarded to companies for good standards and in return can get permits for their employees in two weeks’ time. We strongly oppose illegal employment practices and therefore we demand more resources for inspections of employers.

芬兰的大学享誉世界。欧盟/欧洲经济区以外的许多学生在芬兰接受一流的教育。我们希望他们获得学位后留在芬兰。全国联合党提议向所有外国学生颁发永久居留证。我们进一步建议，外国学生在就业后可以减税以补偿学费。

Finnish universities are world-renowned. A number of students from outside the EU/EEA area receive first-class education in Finland. We would like them to stay in Finland after their degree. The National Coalition Party proposes that all foreign students be awarded a permanent residence permit. We further suggest that after they have gotten employed, the foreign students may receive tax cuts to compensate for their tuition fees.

芬兰的移民政策至关重要，这使芬兰成为学习，工作和生活的诱人之地。这是一个常见的问题，如果做得正确，每个人都会成为赢家。

It is of utmost importance that Finland has a migration policy which makes Finland an attractive place to study, work and live. This is a common issue, where everyone comes out as a winner if done correctly.

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Arto Satonen 

Arto Olavi Satonen是芬兰政治家，也是代表国家联盟党的芬兰议会议员。他首次当选为国会在2003年的议会选举。

Arto Olavi Satonen is a Finnish politician and a member of the Finnish Parliament, representing the National Coalition Party. He was first elected to the Parliament in the 2003 parliamentary election.

本文是为MP Talk撰写的，  MP Talk是赫尔辛基时报的定期专栏，芬兰议会议员在其中发表自己的想法和见解。所表达的所有观点完全是贡献者的观点，并不一定反映赫尔辛基时报的观点。

This article was written for MP Talk, a regular column from the Helsinki Times in which Members of The Finnish Parliament contribute their thoughts and opinions. All opinions voiced are entirely those of the contributor and do not necessarily reflect the viewpoints of the Helsinki Times.