Mobility of personnel 

Central government has a long-standing practice of supporting the mobility of its personnel within their home organisations, within central government as a whole and outside of central government. 

Mobility of personnel helps to better allocate competence and labour where they are needed most. Mobility is a key element in adding flexibility to the management and development of resources throughout central government.

The Government Rules of Procedure emphasise versatility of experience in the qualifications for the most senior public posts. Under the current Government Programme, the Government will develop central government with a focus on cooperation between branches of government and on implementing a phenomenon-based approach. These factors will also be given more emphasis in the Budget. Encouraging mobility of central government personnel and cooperation across administrative boundaries can boost the competence of personnel and streamline public administration. When personnel network and share their experiences, they can achieve common goals more efficiently.

Personnel rotation

A guide on personnel rotation in central government was published in 2012. The guide was based a Government policy stating that the performance and management agreements of government agencies should include more objectives that promote personnel mobility.

In personnel rotation, employees move to a different post for a fixed period with no change in pay. Their employment relationship remains with their home organisation, which pays their salary and other personnel expenses during the rotation. The host organisation may be a unit in central government or a municipal or private organisation.

Exchange programmes for public officials

An exchange is a short-term posting of a central government employee for one to six months abroad within the same branch of government. Exchange programmes aim to provide central government employees with international experience and support their professional development. They are managed by the Finnish National Board of Education. 

These exchange programmes have a rolling application procedure. Exchanges do not have to be reciprocal. Public officials are responsible for finding their own exchange postings. Grants are available to partially cover travel and housing costs. Participation in an exchange programme requires that the public official’s employer supports the plan and has granted a paid leave of absence. The application and its appendices must be submitted to the National Board of Education at least one month before the start of the exchange.

Exchanges outside the Nordic countries are not restricted, but in practice have mainly been to other EU Member States. When going on exchange outside the Nordic countries, some support may be available for further education related to one’s work, such as the European Commission’s National Experts in Professional Training programme (NEPT), expert courses provided by the European Institute of Public Administration (EIPA) and OECD training.

Nordic exchanges are possible to one or more agencies in the Nordic countries or autonomous regions. The aim of Nordic exchanges is to increase public officials’ familiarity with administration and legislation in other Nordic countries and build connections between Nordic central governments.

Other international options that can be applied for through the Finnish National Agency for Education include the Government's EU positions, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs’ development cooperation programmes and the Nordic-Baltic Mobility Programme.

For more information about the above exchange programmes for public officials:

Finnish National Agency for Education's websiteLink to an external websiteOpens in a new tab

Contact information

Kirsi Kuuttiniemi
Ministerial Adviser
Tel. +358 2955 30207 
firstname.lastname@gov.fi