The City of Vaasa provides employment stability and security

A total of 547 employees responded to the internal survey and 292 to the external survey. The sample from the external survey responses were taken from the following regions: Ostrobothnia (91), Kokkola (25), Seinäjoki (24), the Helsinki Metropolitan Area (76) and the rest of Finland (76). Data collection was made with electronic questionnaires and analysis of the results was carried out by T-Media.

– Now we have some good data to support the development work to make the City of Vaasa an increasingly attractive employer in the future with more pulling power. Thanks to the respondents, we received great answers and suggestions on how to develop the employer image of the city. These will now be used in the development work, says City of Vaasa Recruitment Manager, Anne Lindell.

The city is a safe place to work

Overall, the reputation of the City of Vaasa among its own employees is at a moderate level. In particular, employees see the city as a reliable employer, providing job stability and security, and behaving as a responsible actor. The city was seen as a responsible actor by taking the society and the environment into account in its actions.

The city also performed well in the categories of innovation, products and services as well as administration. According to the survey, there was less confidence in the economy and improvements were desired in opportunities for advancement. Respondents were most concerned about pay and employee benefits, with which they were the least satisfied in relation to other subcategories. However, almost all the survey respondents would still apply for their current job again.

– The results will also be used to update the city’s reward system. We received some good perspectives on how we could best motivate and engage existing personnel through a reward system and attract a skilled workforce, says City of Vaasa HR Director, Tuulikki Kruhse-Poutanen.

Vaasa is a multilingual place to live

The biggest difference between the results of the external and internal survey was the fact that potential employees do not yet think that the City of Vaasa offers interesting jobs to the extent that current employees do, who, on the other hand, give a good grade for the subcategory in question.

In the external survey, the biggest challenge among potential employees is a low willingness to live in the Vaasa region. According to the survey, the reluctance to move is increased by a lack of knowledge of the Swedish language, as bilingualism is assumed to be a requirement for getting a job.

– We have tasks where proficiency in both Finnish and Swedish is necessary. But there are also assignments where you can apply without having complete language skills, so we encourage you to apply, and you can always ask more about language requirements later, reminds Anne Lindell.

– Vaasa is an international city where, in addition to the domestic languages, almost a hundred other mother tongues are spoken in everyday life. Here you can live the life you choose, find a career in an export-driven business, where you can fulfil yourself in one, two or more languages, says City of Vaasa marketing expert, Eevamaria Paasikari.

The highest individual ratings revealed that the city was seen as a safe and long-term employer promoting diversity and multiculturalism. The City of Vaasa was also considered to offer reasonably good opportunities for advancement, the possibility to develop skills, and provide an opportunity to work with modern tools.

– Overall, the City of Vaasa’s external employer reputation is at a moderate level. The city in particular is perceived to be a reliable employer, providing job stability and security, as well as behaves as a responsible actor providing affordable services, concludes T-Media’s researcher Petteri Puska, D.Sc.