One of the Nordic countries is luring Silicon Valley specialists fed up with working overtime: “You narrow your mind if you just work”

Finland is entering the global race to attract tech talent, with the Nordic country making efforts to attract IT specialists from abroad, particularly from the United States. The goal is to attract engineers and researchers working in the so-called field of “deep tech”, especially in the areas of quantum computing, artificial intelligence and health innovation, reports Business Insider.

This initiative comes amid intensifying global competition for AI talent and challenges facing US tech workers, such as layoffs, burnout and visa complications. KPMG's annual survey of global CEOs found that 70 percent of them are concerned about the competition for AI talent. According to the BCG Talent Tracker 2024 report, the US remained dominant globally in attracting AI talent.

But Finland, a country of about 5.6 million people already known for its tech sector, is positioning itself as a place where American tech professionals can find a better work-life balance without sacrificing their careers — a notable contrast to Silicon Valley's notorious overwork culture, Business Insider points out.

“Of course there can be long days now and then, but [în Finlanda] the fact that you can't work more than an average of 40 hours a week is an extremely important value and, moreover, protected by law,” Laura Lindeman, head of the Work in Finland program, told Business Insider.

Finland claims that even its employers value employees' free time

Lindeman says that even in the tech sector, when people leave work at the end of the day, they really do. “It's quiet in the offices,” she says of the evening hours. Lindeman also says that employers in Finland, named again last year as the happiest country in the world, also see the benefits of employees having a life outside of work, and says that the general perception is that “you narrow your mind if you're just working”.

Finland collaborates with more than 30 Finnish tech companies and universities to advertise vacancies for foreign workers. A preliminary list of jobs advertised under the program includes positions at Oura Health (the company behind the Oura fitness ring), quantum computing firm QMill and Aalto University.

Lindeman says Americans interested in working in Finland should consider contacting companies or universities directly, even if they don't have job vacancies posted, as some employers are willing to create positions for the right candidate. While the campaign focuses on the US, it also targets talent from India, Brazil and other parts of Europe.

Once candidates receive a job offer, they can apply for a specialist visa through Finland's Fast Track program. Approved applicants can receive a work and residence permit in as little as two weeks, with processing times averaging about 10 days, Lindeman explains. Finland also offers integration programs to help newcomers settle, and spouses of workers holding specialist visas are eligible for work permits.

The number of tech specialists moving to the Nordic country is currently in the tens every year

Government data suggests that interest from Americans is already growing. Finland granted 60 specialist residence permits to US citizens in 2024 and 85 in 2025, according to Finnish immigration statistics. The number of residence permits granted to US researchers also increased from 35 in 2024 to 46 in 2025.

Jordan Blake Banks, an American who moved to Finland in 2019 to pursue a master's degree through the Fulbright Program, told Business Insider that the country offers many benefits, from its forests to its emphasis on work-life balance. After completing his studies, Banks stayed in Finland and eventually landed a job as a sustainability consultant at Deloitte in Helsinki.

“The general idea is that the company and colleagues respect you as a person and that you can have free time and personal time,” she says, adding that parents regularly take off work during the day for family obligations without being stigmatized. Many Finns also take about a month off in the summer, as well as time off in the winter.

Some employees may experience culture shock

Banks says salaries in Finland tend to be lower than those in comparable roles in the US, but she believes this difference is offset by more accessible essential services, including healthcare, education and childcare.

While learning Finnish is not required to work in the country – Lindeman points out that English is widely used in the tech industry and that around 80% of Finns are fluent in English – Banks says that not knowing the language can be isolating in everyday life.

Banks also says that a cultural adaptation related to living in Finland is that people tend to be more reserved than Americans. “If you come from a very friendly or very warm culture, I think this can be a shock,” she said.

PHOTO: Kaspars Grinvalds / Dreamstime.com.