The Finnish Government announced plans to tackle labour exploitation more effectively and proactively, through a comprehensive programme of measures adopted by the ministerial working group on employment and entrepreneurship on February 2024. These measures include legislative reforms and increased cooperation and exchange of information between authorities, and awareness-raising and advice-dispensing activities.

The programme contains 5 main objectives and 33 measures in total. The measures aim to:

• increase cooperation and exchange of information between authorities;
• fight the informal economy, financial crime and exploitation;
• identify and report exploitation and trafficking in human beings and promote their prevention;
• ensure the capacity for action of participating authorities and develop their cooperation;
• increase the severity of penalties and improve the effectiveness of criminal accountability, ensuring the legal protection of suspects.

Measures will be taken forward by investing in more effective detection of irregularities in the payment of wages. The distinction between self-employment and employment will be clarified, and the position of victims improved. A set of criteria for employers to identify reliable partners in Finland will also be created. Further, efforts will also be made to ensure that workers are adequately informed about their rights and obligations and about the Finnish labour market. Support will be given across all stages of the employment process and will take into account different language needs.

The government aims to recruit workers primarily from EU/EEA countries, and via targeted recruitment from third countries. Combating abuse requires extensive cooperation, in which employers also play a key role. Promoting labour immigration therefore requires action against exploitation both in the countries of origin and in Finland.