Image: Yle

One reason for more women joining the ministry is simple: fewer people are applying to join and more women are among the best of that smaller pool.

The number of applicants has steadily declined in the last decade. In 2003 there were more than 800 applications, whereas last year that had dwindled to 463. The ministry puts this down to a healthy employment picture and better salaries in the private sector.

The current economic situation has already seen a slight change in that picture. Last year there were 551 hopefuls chasing just 28 spots in the training programme.

Toni Sandell, who entered the programme in 2012, says that the language requirements may rule out a lot of men. To get a place on the course, budding diplomats need Finnish and Swedish skills as well as two other languages.

Drumming up interest

The ministry is not about to relax their requirements, but a marketing campaign is on the way to try and raise interest.

”We will visit universities and higher education institutions to explain the career possibilities,” says the ministry’s HR planner Kirsi Vanamo-Santacruz. ”We will attend the business studies fair in November at Helsinki Exhibition and Convention Centre.”

Despite a rash of closures announced last year, Finland still has more than 90 diplomatic posts all over the world. The ministry’s aim is to offer permanent jobs to everyone accepted on a diplomat’s training course, rare security in the modern employment market.

”Finland is internationalising,” says Sandell. ”We have more and more business and cultural links to different parts of the world. It’s important that we have diplomats to take care of them.”