The International Work Lahti project, administered by the City of Lahti and co-funded by the EU, had achieved nearly 200 job placements by the end of August 2026, despite difficult labour market conditions. An evaluation by the Rehabilitation Foundation estimates that every euro invested in the project generated about 3.93 euros of social value. The foundation recommends that the project’s operating models continue after the project period as part of regional employment and integration services.
How the project works
The project was launched in 2024 to place unemployed job seekers who speak a foreign language into the open labour market as quickly as possible. It also aims to make skills already present in the region more available to employers and to strengthen the vitality of the Lahti region. It relies on a personalised rapid recruitment model that the project developed and tested. Each job seeker’s education, professional skills, work experience and language proficiency are matched with skill needs identified by employers. Where needed, the job seeker’s skills are supplemented, and both the job seeker and the employer are supported through the stages of recruitment. Project manager Hilkka Kulju said the evaluation shows that investing in employer collaboration and one-on-one interactions creates value for job seekers, employers and society as a whole.
The numbers
The social return on investment (SROI) method quantifies the economic and qualitative benefits of an initiative in monetary terms and compares them with its costs. The assessment covered 1 January 2024 to 31 May 2026, a period in which the project resulted in 160 job placements, reached 523 clients and conducted over 3,600 client encounters.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Direct economic benefits | about 6.58 million euros |
| Total impact, including qualitative benefits | about 6.68 million euros |
| Project costs | about 1.7 million euros |
| SROI figure | 3.93 |
The evaluation also looked separately at the City of Lahti’s self-financing contribution of about 425,000 euros. For this contribution, the SROI figure was 15.7 when all estimated benefits were counted and 15.5 based only on direct economic benefits.
What happens next
The project continues until the end of 2026. The city notes that the model’s key elements, namely individualised coaching, close cooperation with employers and matching skills to actual recruitment needs, could also inform services for other groups, such as young people and the long-term unemployed. The SROI assessment was published on 1 September 2026 on the Rehabilitation Foundation’s website.