Recruitment
Many new and interesting jobs constantly become available in central government. Each central government agency manages its own recruitments based on its personnel plan. However, top management and senior public officials at the ministries are appointed by the Government or the President of the Republic.
As a rule, central government employees have public service employment relationships valid until further notice. Fixed-term appointments may be used when this is required by the nature of the work, deputization, taking over a vacant post on a temporary basis, or an internship. A fixed-term appointment may also be justified by a reason related to the nature of the post or the operation of the agency.
Central government recruitments are open. An effort is made to find and select the most suitable person for each role. Under the Constitution of Finland, the general qualifications for public office shall be skill, ability and proven civic merit. Further provisions on citizenship, age, language proficiency, qualifications and other eligibility requirements are laid down in the Public Servants Act, the Act on the Knowledge of Languages Required of Personnel in Public Bodies as well as the act or administrative regulation applicable to the relevant agency. Eligibility requirements for central government personnel related to language proficiency as well as language skills regarded as an advantage are taken into consideration in recruitment following recommendations issued by the Ministry of Justice. There may also be other requirements for successfully managing a role or additional capabilities or traits a successful candidate should have.
Gender equality and non-discrimination are fundamental principles in recruitment. As the applicant with the highest merit must always be selected for central government posts, the starting point for recruitment is that both women and men are treated equally. While the proportions of men and women among central government personnel as a whole are more or less evenly balanced, some occupations or task areas remain male or female dominated. The police service and the Defence Forces are dominated by men, for example, whereas more women than men work in national financial administration.
Discrimination in recruitment is expressly prohibited. An agency may also apply a personnel policy where, of two equally strong candidates, the one belonging to a group underrepresented in the workplace is recruited, such as an immigrant. This is called positive discrimination, which is permitted if the exception made to the principle of equality enshrined in the Constitution is temporary and not disproportionate regarding its objectives.
Government roles are diverse, and candidates with many different educational backgrounds may apply for them. However, a higher education degree and good language proficiency are statutory eligibility requirements for many expert roles.
Valtiolle.fi web service supports recruitments
The central government uses an electronic recruitment system, which is part of the Valtiolle.fi service package. The web service Valtiolle.fi is a public advertising channel for open positions in central government. It constantly has a high number of vacancies, often 200 to 400 jobs. Candidates can also apply for the jobs using this system.
Additionally, basic information about central government recruitments, employee cases, videos and introductions to central government employers can be found on the service. Valtiolle.fi also communicates actively on social media (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram).
The Ministry of Finance has assigned the management of the Valtiolle.fi service package to the Government Shared Services Centre for Finance and HR
Training on central government recruitments to support daily work
To support the recruitment skills of government personnel, the eOppiva training service offers them a dedicated course on central government recruitments. In particular, this course is intended for supervisors and HR professionals. It has been designed to also provide practical support for an individual recruitment process.
Further information
Valtiolle.fi – apply for central government jobs
Supplementing the information in a document (section 22 of the Administrative Procedure Act)
Security Clearance Act (om.fi)
Introductory video on the central goverrnment as an employe (youtube.com)
Contact information
Marjaana Laine
Ministerial Adviser
Tel. + 358 2955 30304
[email protected]
Miska Lautiainen
Senior Ministerial Adviser, Legislative Affairs
Tel. + 358 2955 30212
[email protected]