Work Package 2

LUT Univeristy

Migrant Talent Attraction, Integration, and Retention in an AI-Transformed Labour Market

In Work Package 2, LUT University examines how migrant talent attraction, integration, and long-term retention are shaped by labour market transformation under digitalization and AI. WP2 focuses on two strategically critical but structurally distinct sectors, healthcare and IT, where migrant labour is essential, yet integration pathways, skill utilization, and exposure to technological change differ markedly.

WP2 investigates how AI adoption, digitalization, and changing skill demands affect migrant workers’ career trajectories, adaptability, and sense of inclusion at work and in society. It asks how employed migrants navigate ongoing technological disruption, what kinds of sociocultural capital and support enable reskilling and professional development, and how employers, social partners, and public institutions shape inclusion, retention, and the prevention of “brain waste.” Central to WP2 is a critical reassessment of the assumption that employment alone guarantees integration, highlighting gaps in integration services for already-employed migrants.

Using a longitudinal mixed-methods design (2025–2031), WP2 combines multi-wave surveys of migrant workers in IT and healthcare with in-depth interviews involving migrant employees, employers, social partners, policymakers, and frontline implementers. Expert interviews and sectoral analyses further contextualize evolving digitalization trajectories and employer skill needs. By comparing sectors with different language regimes, qualification recognition practices, and AI disruption profiles, WP2 reveals how industry-specific conditions mediate inclusion, adaptability, and retention.

Throughout, WP2 foregrounds inclusion, DEI, and social dialogue as key enablers of sustainable skill development and long-term commitment to Finland. Its findings inform evidence-based policy recommendations, employer practices, and stakeholder collaboration models aimed at strengthening migrant retention, improving workforce resilience, and supporting Finland’s capacity to remain an attractive destination for skilled migrants in a rapidly transforming world of work.