Boosting support for female migrants integration urged

A report presented here by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has urged Finland to step up support for the early integration of immigrant women.

The report noted that while Finland over the years saw fast growing migrant population, the gap in the country's labor market outcomes of native- and foreign-born has diverged.

"Women, in particular, are struggling to integrate; many are locked into inactivity, and face incentives to stay in the home," an OECD statement read.

On top of it, the statement noted that in Finland, women eligible for the Child Home Care Allowance may find that staying at home is as financially advantageous as engaging in training or paid employment.

The employment gap between migrant and native women is substantially larger among those with children under 18 than among those without, it added.

As in many OECD countries, the children of immigrants do worse in school in Finland than children with native-born parents. In Finland, however, these differences are particularly striking, according to the report.

Finland should offer labor-market-oriented integration support to all migrants, strengthen efforts to identify and address early vulnerabilities, and work more closely with employers, the report said.