We use the annual Reputation&Trust survey to track the development of Finnish Customs’ reputation. The survey measures respondents’ views of Finnish Customs’ reputation on a variety of topics, including administration, finance, management, innovation, interaction, products and services, workplace, and sustainability. The overall rating is based on the scores in all the topics. 

In 2023, Finnish Customs’ overall reputation score was 3.67 (on a scale of 1–5), slightly up from the previous year (3.65). Our workplace score rose to 3.70 (2022: 3.69), but our sustainability score decreased slightly to 3.75 (2022: 3.79). We ranked 13th out of all the public administration organisations in the survey. Compared to the average ratings of the top 25 organisations, we did well in all areas of reputation.

Finnish Customs’ reputation has improved since 2018 (3.63) when we first participated in the survey. The improvement in our reputation is the result of the long-term effort of every member of Finnish Customs’ personnel.

Finnish Customs continued to develop its socially responsible recruitment in 2023 and conducted additional studies. For the second time, Finnish Customs participated in the international Job Shadow Day coordinated by Vates Foundation for individuals whose life situation, illness or disability makes it difficult for them to find employment. The day of job shadowing took place in Finnish Customs’ Administration Department, where the person involved learned about HR and communication tasks. People who have difficulty finding employment have been considered as deputies for personnel on job alternation leave, and Finnish Customs has continued its cooperation with the TE Services. Finnish Customs has also offered students opportunities to gain work experience through internships in higher education. A total of fourteen interns worked at Finnish Customs in 2023.

We aim to become the most desired workplace in the public administration sector. In 2023, we furthered this goal by attending various events and marketing our apprenticeships and other open positions.

In October 2023, we participated in a tour of educational institutions in Western Lapland by the police, Finnish Customs and Finnish Border Guard. The tour was aimed at lower secondary school pupils and upper secondary school students. We also increased our visibility among students in higher education institutions. We attended three recruitment fairs: in January, we attended the Contact Forum in the joint central government department, and in November, we attended the Aalto Talent Expo and Kumpulan Potentiaali. In November, we participated in a careers evening of the Aalto Business Law student organisation, where we introduced Finnish Customs as a workplace for students specialising in corporate law.

Apprenticeships at Finnish Customs have attracted plenty of interest among job applicants for many years. Apprenticeships have been strongly visible in our social media channels during the application periods. We also receive regular questions about training. We received almost 1,400 applications during the August application period, which also gained us coverage on the national MTV television channel. Apprenticeships at Finnish Customs were one topic for discussion in MTV’s Viiden jälkeen programme at the beginning of September.

In September 2022, Finnish Customs and Turku University of Applied Sciences launched a study module which was also taught in 2023. In total, approximately 100 students attended the study module in the past two years. Students have provided feedback on the study module: “The training was really good. The course was hard work at times, but the topic was interesting. Clear and straightforward teaching with concrete examples.” 

An expert from Finnish Customs also visited the University of Turku School of Economics for a lecture series on the theme “Finnish Customs controls the implementation of trade agreements”. In addition, Finnish Customs continued its cooperation with LUT University. A Finnish Customs expert has taught a course in export and import activity for several years.

Collaboration with vocational schools also continues. Finnish Customs recruited 23 people for a fixed term to complete a vocational qualification in customs activities as an apprenticeship. Eduko in Kouvola arranged the education. A total of 122 people were in apprenticeship training at Finnish Customs in 2023. In 2023, a total of 41 students participated in a joint educational programme of Omnia and Finnish Customs for people in corporate customs positions.

Finnish Customs’ sustainability is also reflected in its personnel who show strong initiative and Finnish Customs’ initiative channel. In autumn 2022, Finnish Customs opened an initiative channel for any member of the staff to submit their initiatives such as ideas that could benefit customers. The channel was used steadily throughout 2023. By the end of 2023, nearly 100 initiatives had been submitted, of which more than 20 have been approved for implementation. The approved initiatives are innovative and have provided tangible help to Finnish Customs. All in all, the initiatives will make work even more efficient and improve services for customers. For the first time, Finnish Customs also rewarded the employees who submitted the two best initiatives. The winners received EUR 250 and an Initiator 2023 diploma. The best initiatives concerned the use of simplified images to improve services for special groups and enhancements to the popular Customs duty calculator to boost sustainability. Initiatives will continue to be rewarded, encouraging the personnel to contribute their ideas.