Citizens’ Assembly on Work-Based Immigration | Research group for innovating democracy

Researchers at the University of Turku will organise a Citizens’ Assembly on work-based immigration between November 2026 and February 2027. At the Citizens’ Assembly, 100 participants from different backgrounds and from different parts of Finland familiarise themselves with the topic of work-based immigration, discuss the topic in a constructive atmosphere and prepare a joint position, which is handed over to decision-makers.

The Assembly is part of an initiative launched by the Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment of Finland, which maps the views of the Finnish population on work-based immigration on an exceptionally broad scale for the use of decision-makers.

Below you will find answers to the most frequently asked questions.

Sitra and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment have launched the Future of Work-Based Immigration project, which uses various methods to investigate the views of Finnish residents on work-based immigration. In addition to the Citizens’ Assembly, a series of citizen dialogues will also be held, as well as a discussion open to all on the digital Voxit participation platform.

Work-based immigration has various impacts on Finland’s long-term economic growth, the maintenance of the welfare state and the development of human capital. The topic is multidimensional and full of tension, so it would be very difficult to solve it without the participation of Finnish residents.

The aim of the project is to strengthen decision-making capacity and trust, and to increase citizens’ opportunities to influence decision-making. This is the first time in Finland that several methods of citizen participation have been combined on such a broad scale to address a socially significant issue.

20,000 adults living in Finland will be invited to the Citizens’ Assembly on the basis of a random sample taken by the Finnish Digital and Population Data Services Agency. The random sample means that all adults living in Finland are equally likely to receive an invitation. In this way, we can include a diverse range of Finnish residents from different backgrounds and life situations.

The participants register by completing the electronic survey indicated in the invitation. From among those who have registered, the researchers will select 100 participants for the Citizens’ Assembly using a quota system so that the composition provides a diverse representation of the population living in Finland, for example in terms of age, gender, first language, and place of residence.

No prior knowledge of the theme is required for participation. Participants will receive compensation (taxable income). The compensation will be paid through the University of Turku. In addition, travel expenses and, if needed, accommodation for participants travelling from outside the Helsinki Metropolitan Area will be covered. The participants are required to commit to all sessions.

The Citizens’ Assembly will be held online and in Helsinki between November 2026 and February 2027 on the dates indicated in the invitation.

The Citizens’ Assembly will discuss what Finland should do regarding work-based immigration in the coming years.

Before the Assembly, the participants familiarise themselves with the topic by studying the background materials. During the Assembly, the participants hear experts, discuss different perspectives and the information they have received, and together prepare a joint statement with recommendations.

The discussions are held in small groups and joint discussions led by trained facilitators. The discussion follows the principles of deliberative democracy, in other words, aiming to hear different viewpoints and deliberate them equally on the basis of information related to the topic. Different opinions are allowed, and each of them is discussed constructively.

The recommendations of the Citizens’ Assembly will be delivered to decision-makers, political parties and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment ahead of the parliamentary elections in 2027.

The Citizens’ Assembly will be held by the Research Group for Innovating Democracy at the University of Turku. The Citizens’ Assembly is commissioned by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment and Sitra, the Finnish Innovation Fund, as part of the Future of Work-Based Immigration project.

In addition to the Citizens’ Assembly, researchers at the University of Turku will carry out an impact assessment of the entire project. The research carried out by the group deals, among other things, with how the combining of different methods of citizen participation affects both the participants and decision-making.

The research carried out in connection with the Citizens’ Assembly is funded by the European Research Council (ERC) as part of the Advancing Digital Democratic Innovation (ADDI) project.

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Research participant information sheet

If you have any questions, please contact the University of Turku research team by email at demokratia@utu.fi.

More information about the citizens’ assembly method can be found in this guide (in Finnish), written by researchers at the University of Turku.

Read the University of Turku’s news article about the Citizens’ Assembly.

Read Sitra’s news article about the Future of Work-Based Immigration project.

Read the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment’s news article about the project (in Finnish).