336 News
What would a fully integrated Nordic labour market look like?
For seven decades, Nordic citizens have had the opportunity to travel, live and work in another Nordic country without permits and with common rights. This was celebrated with a jubilee conference in Malmö, where Nordregio launched a report “Nordic Common Labour Market: 70 Years and Beyond,” examining the past, present, and future of this pivotal agreement. 70 years of Nordic labour mobility Established in 1954, the Nordic Common Labour Market agreement has significantly facilitated cross-border employment, fostering economic cooperation and mobility. However, despite the longstanding cooperation, practical barriers such as as tax legislation and language barriers still hinder seamless cross-border labour movement. To evaluate the impact of the agreement, Nordregio researchers Anna Lundgren, Gustaf Norlén, Debora Pricila Birgier and Nora Sanchéz Gassen presented a literature review, analysed available statistics, and conducted surveys, and interviews. The report reveals that while 15% of Nordic citizens move houses within their countries annually, only 40,000 people per year move to another Nordic country. Nordic citizens working and living in another Nordic country in 2023 was 1.6%. In the year 2000, this number was 1.9%, a lower average compared to 3.9% in Europe in 2023. – What surprised me the most was the importance of geographical and cultural closeness when it comes to moving within the Nordic region. Norwegians form the largest minority population at the Swedish border. Similarly, Danes are also a prominent minority at the Swedish border. In Denmark, Greenlanders constitute the largest minority in several municipalities, underscoring the historical and ongoing connections within the Kingdom of Denmark, Anna Lundgren stated. Key Insights from the report Reflecting historical migration trends, the largest group of migrants in Sweden are those older than 70, particularly those who moved from Finland during the 1970s. In contrast, Iceland and the Faroe Islands attract many young Nordic migrants.…
- 2024 June
- Cross-border
- Nordic Region
- Labour market
Nordic finance ministers discuss Nordregio research
On June 3 and 4, the Nordic finance ministers convened in Stockholm to address shared economic challenges. Key topics included the economic and political management of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the subsequent energy and inflation crises in the Nordic region.
- 2024 June
- Nordic Region
- Covid-19
- Finance
Nordic geographies of discontent – what are the drivers?
The recent years have been marked by a rising sentiment of discontent, increasingly polarised political debates and shifting political attitudes and electoral behaviour across the Western liberal democracies. The Nordic countries have also seen their share of emerging political discontent, increasing urban-rural and periphery-centre divides, as well as economic, social, cultural, and demographic divergence that contribute towards forming geographies of discontent. Myriam Chilvers, Research Fellow at Nordregio and one of the authors, sums up some of the key questions as “Is political discontent driven by where you live, either in a remote rural area or a big city? And how can this discontent be measured in a transparent way? Which are the driving forces of political discontent?” and adds that while academics and political thinkers alike have long thought that the apparent voting divide between rural and urban areas may provide a hint on both questions, there is more to explore. “This paper has established some of the key economic, social, cultural or demographic factors that might be driving this phenomenon in a Nordic context”, she notes. The working paper and the map have been published as a part of ‘Ensuring inclusive economic growth in the transition to a green economy (EnIGG)’ project. The work in the project continues until the end of 2024. Looking ahead, Carlos Tapia, Senior Research Fellow at Nordregio, explains: “The next step will be to look deeper into whether geographies of discontent have appeared in the Nordics, and develop an empirical model to quantify the influence of the various factors fuelling discontent”. More results will follow in the upcoming months. About ‘Ensuring inclusive economic growth in the transition to a green economy (EnIGG)’ projectThe project analyses how the Nordic countries can accelerate the green transition towards a climate-neutral economy. It explores the issue from different…
- 2024 May
- Nordic Region
- Governance
- Rural development