(4) Uncompetitive salary/award for high-skilled talent

Some interviewees also said the high tax system and high living cost resulted in lower salary for high-skilled talent in comparison to other regions in the world, such as North America and East Asia. Since Finland is a high welfare state, the tax imposed on salary is therefore relatively high compared to other countries. Meanwhile, some interviewees also said the reward system for highly skilled talent who have high research output is also limited.

#### *4.2. Social Integration*

#### (1) Lack of deep contact

A lot of the interviewees recognized the importance of having Finnish friendship contacts and networks if they really wanted to stay and integrate into the local society. However, they also described the difficulties of establishing deeper friendships or contacts with local people. One of the interviewees said:

I think it's not so easy to become friends with Finns. Because not everyone is so open-minded that they would like to be friends with you. Sometimes they would only say hi if you meet in the neighborhood or something. Even if you have a job here, like (someone's name), but how many of your Finnish colleagues can become friends to have further contact after work, right? I think, first of all, there is a cultural difference. Second, you might need to have something in common with them, like a common hobby. And especially for us it is quite difficult to find a job. So, if you don't have a job, your social network is quite narrow.

(Female, sociology)

(2) Lack of professional network

Despite the difficulties, the participants emphasized the importance of forming networks with local people as they open doors for the interviewees to understand local culture, establish contacts, and potentially find job opportunities in the host society:

I often receive a lot of invitations to networking events. I know that a lot of Chinese are not interested in joining those networking events. They feel uncomfortable about it. In fact, from participating in those events, I got a lot of useful networks. Those are things that help you to sow the seeds for your future in this society.

(Male, media studies)

This study also confirms that having a local social network will help students alleviate their loneliness and homesickness as suggested by earlier research [59]. Having someone who could recommend them for certain job positions sometimes is much more useful than submitting their job applications online. One of the interviewees said that she managed to find a job due to a recommendation from her Finnish work mentor, who put her in touch with another employer through the mentor's personal network. One of the interviewees stressed the importance of reaching out proactively to the local society. She said:

If you decided to stay in Finland, then you must proactively integrate into Finnish society. Finnish people are like 'Jing Fen' ("jingfen", or "spiritually Finnish," a term that became popular on the Chinese internet, which is inspired by a comic from Finland called "Finnish Nightmares," describing the kind of people who prefer minimal social contact and avoid social situations), right? They will not actively seek to establish contact with you, if you don't try to communicate with them, you will never integrate. For me, there are two ways to integrate: The first is to study this country's language and culture. I started learning Finnish myself and to subscribe to the local Helsinki newspaper. In the beginning, I was reading an English version of that Helsinki paper. It gave me a lot of help to understand what was happening in Finnish society. I have continuously subscribed to this newspaper for around two years. It helps me to learn the language and to study Finnish culture. The second is that I try to establish networks with the local society. For a foreigner, there are so many difficulties to overcome, like finding jobs, going to see doctors, giving birth to children. If you do not ask other people to help, nobody will help you. [ ... ] Previously, I was working part-time for my employer, and established good networks and gained their trust. That is how I got the job that I am doing now.

(Female, education)

#### *4.3. Potential Measures for Improvement*

(1) Mentality and attitude

One interviewee mentioned having a proactive attitude, self-confidence, and other valuable qualities that the individuals can adopt can help to improve their chances of being employed:

Those who can find jobs, first they must be brave enough (not afraid to lose face) to some extent, and second, have good language skills, be confident and honest. Or they have some good friends to recommend them, or they have done a lot of voluntary jobs without payment. (Male, law)
