Application for the personal tax number that all workers on public construction sites in Finland must possess from the beginning of March shows that the number of foreigners working as construction workers in Finland is about double the size previously estimated, Finland's public broadcaster Yle said.
So far 53,000 construction workers who are nationals of another country have applied for the personal tax number. As recently as in fall 2012 it was estimated that about 25,000 foreigners are working on Finnish construction sites.
The personal tax number is part of a set of measures against grey economy agreed in the program of the Finnish government. Its aim is to help combat unfair wages and tax evasion in construction.
There are an estimated 100,000 people working on construction sites across Finland excluding officials and entrepreneurs, according to a study by the Confederation of Finnish Construction Industries RT (CFCI) for 2011.
Estonians make up a large portion of foreign construction workers in Finland.