- The Happy Pro campaign, conducted for the first time in cooperation with cities in Southwest Finland, reached over four million talents from around the globe.
- The campaign was especially of interest to engineers with experience from fields such as AI, robotics and data science.
– The attractiveness of Southwest Finland’s cities is based on an exceptionally good quality of life, clean nature, and safety, as well as, of course, the interesting career opportunities the region’s companies provide. Turku and other cities in Southwest Finland are among the top performers in the entirety of Finland in terms of growth, and with collaborative efforts like the Happy Pro campaign, the region is sure to attract top talents in the future as well, says Janina Nieminen, Marketing Manager at Turku Science Park Ltd.
Happy Pro reached a total of over 4.5 million individuals, and its visibility on a global scale exceeded the expectations of Turku, Pori, Rauma, Uusikaupunki and Salo, who were behind the campaign. Almost 72 000 individual talents visited the campaign site during the promotion. At the heart of Happy Pro was a playful questionnaire the talents could use to test how well they would fit in to settle in Southwest Finland. Over 900 persons from 45 countries filled out the questionnaire. Most of the answers were from Russia, Ireland and Poland. The Baltics were also well represented, and a lot of responses came from international talents who were already located in elsewhere in Finland.
A Post-Pandemic Boom Needs Talents
Happy Pro proved that Southwest Finland attracts the interest of international talents. The campaign targeted the kinds of specialists the region’s companies are currently having trouble finding on the Finnish job market. Talents who responded to the questionnaire represented a wide range of skills. The majority (38%) had a background in engineering. Engineers in data science, AI and robotics were especially prominent among those who left their contact information.
– It is particularly great to see that Southwest Finland appeals exactly to the talents we need as we build up Turku to become a global forerunner in future growth industries. These industries include, for example, e-transport, the health business, and circular economy. In the coming years, the Turku region will need thousands of new talents to ensure rapid economic growth. Fortunately, we have all of the pre-requisites to succeed in the global competition for the top talents, says Niko Kyynäräinen, Director of Business and Economic Development at the City of Turku.
A Happy Life and Professional Development Go Hand-in-Hand in Southwest Finland
In general, combining a happy life with professional development comes easy in Finland. Happy Pro centered around these key selling points. The campaign also utilised peer-to-peer marketing as international talents who had already found employment in the region’s companies described their lives and work in Southwest Finland in an inspiring manner.
Covering the Turku-angle for the campaign was the Head of Bayer’s Production Supply Center in Turku, Jennifer Hunt. Hunt, originally from the UK, says she appreciates the Finnish work atmosphere, which she describes as friendly, hospitable, and supportive. She also describes Turku as a vibrant and youthful city that is just the right size.
Bayer employs around 1000 persons in Finland, and the Production Supply Center in Turku is a global hub of innovation and expertise in polymer-based long-term contraceptive technologies. According to Hunt, both Finland and Bayer are full of opportunities, which she encourages everyone to seize.
The talents who left their contact information will be hearing more about the opportunities Southwest Finland has to offer, and hopefully they will find a suitable job opening in one of the region’s many growing companies. The work to attract international talents to Southwest Finland continues in close cooperation with the region’s companies.
Companies in the Turku Region with questions regarding international recruitment, contact the experts in Turku Science Park Ltd.: www.businessturku.staging.web-veistamo.fi/talentboost