Finland has around 6,000 enterprises established and led by immigrants, half of which are located in the Helsinki region. According to government figures, immigrants are more willing to start a business than native Finns, with 16 per cent of working immigrants self-employed, compared with 10 per cent of Finns. People of Turkish, Thai and Middle Eastern origin are most likely to engage in entrepreneurial activities on arrival to Finland.

According to a 2006 study, service companies are among the most common type of immigrant enterprise, including hospitality and retail companies. However, knowledge-based services, such as consultancies and training organisations, are an increasingly significant sector for immigrant entrepreneurs, many of whom are highly qualified and educated but lack the language skills and network of contacts necessary for finding a job. Approximately 11 per cent of immigrant businesses are “information-intensive” enterprises, the same as for native Finnish businesses.

EnterpriseHelsinki (YritysHelsinki), a government-funded business-advisory service based in the Finnish capital, helps around 1,000 new or would-be entrepreneurs each year, around half of whom are immigrants. Of these, between 350 and 450 become established as businesses. Approximately 80 per cent of these new enterprises are still in business after five years.

Obstacles for entrepreneurial success include lack of Finnish-language skills and business experience, insufficient knowledge of Finnish business culture and legislation, and crucially, start-up financing. EnterpriseHelsinki and its sister organisations in other Finnish cities assist entrepreneurs to overcome these obstacles by providing business training and counselling in a variety of languages and – where possible – access to start-up funding and incubation facilities.

LOUISA GAIRN - HT