How Government Reforms & Automated Decision Making affect Migrant Rights in Finland
A crucial panel discussion on the role of government reforms and automated decision making for migrant workers in Finland.
The government’s new proposal on the three-month unemployment rule has been circulated for comments from 13 June – 16 August 2024. The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment will hold a hearing about the proposal on August 13th (in English). Migri has also created an automated decision making system for processing residence permits & citizenship applications.
Experts discussed the implications of these reforms and how one can influence the ways in which they may be implemented.
Monday 12th August | 17:30 – 19:30
Tekstin Talo, Lintulahdenkatu 3, Helsinki
Panelists:
📌 Jarmo Tiukkanen, Senior Advisor, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment (Finland)
📌 Youssef Zad, Chief Economist, Finnish Startup Community
📌 Quivine Ndomo, University Teacher & International Migration Researcher, University of Jyväskylä
📌 Nitin Sawhney, Professor of Practice & Responsible AI Researcher, Aalto University
📌 Sofia Achame-Räisänen, Project Coordinator, Think Africa
📌 Ditmar Hasanaj, Vice-Chair & Co-founder of HELSINKI LEFT
Moderated by Toivo Haimi, Journalist
Live streamed: youtube.com/@TekstinTalo
Organized by HELSINKI LEFT and Trust-M
Bios of Panelists & Moderator:
Jarmo Tiukkanen is a Senior Ministerial Adviser in the Labour Migration and Integration Unit at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment. He has over 10 years of experience working in the ministries and preparing government proposals on immigration issues, before working in the Finnish Immigration Service in the legal migration unit in different positions. He graduated from the University of Helsinki in the Faculty of Law.
Youssef Zad is a Chief Economist at the Finnish Startup Community. He is currently doing his doctoral degree in Economics at the University of Jyväskylä. He has expertise in econometrics, statistical analysis, labour markets, data science, technology, policy analysis and impact assessments. He is a recurring guest at YLE morning show Jälkipörssi and writes a guest column for the Finnish newspaper Kauppalehti related to new technologies and the economy.
Quivine Ndomo is an international migration researcher with an interest in understanding and highlighting the intricate configuration of social dynamics such as human agency, status, belonging, racism and language barriers in the process of migrant integration and the implications of these, particularly for the African migrant in Europe. She completed her PhD in the Department of Social Sciences and Philosophy at the University of Jyväskylä, where she’s currently appointed as a university teacher in the DEICO (Development, Education, and International Cooperation) degree programme.
Nitin Sawhney is a Professor of Practice in the Department of Computer Science at Aalto University. Working at the intersection of Human Computer Interaction (HCI), responsible AI, and participatory design research, he examines the critical role of technology, civic agency, and social justice in society and crisis contexts. He is leading several transdisciplinary research projects examining crisis narratives and sensemaking, ethical AI practices in the public sector, and the design of trustworthy digital public services for migrants.
Sofia Achame-Räisänen has an educational background in International Human rights law and is currently working as a Project coordinator in Think Africa ry, on Think Career Mentorship Programme designed to help unemployed and underemployed international professionals in Finland find employment in their areas of expertise. She has lived in Finland for 15 years and is passionate about the integration of immigrants in Finland.
Ditmar Hasanaj is the Vice-Chair and Co-founder of HELSINKI LEFT, a chapter of Left Alliance. An Albanian immigrant with a law degree from the University of Tirana, Hasanaj relocated to Finland and has since established himself as an activist. He focuses on improving labor and immigration rights, as well as advocating for increased political representation for immigrants and minorities.
Toivo Haimi is a Helsinki-based journalist who currently works as a political correspondent for the Finnish monthly magazine KU. Haimi has also written for the German tageszeitung and American Jacobin magazines. He mainly covers politics, economics, labour relations and international news.
