New arrivals as a resource for the rural area
Since 1990, the Nordic population has grown by 15 percent to about 26.5 million. Net immigration accounts for two thirds of population growth. This implies a great potential for many small or peripheral municipalities with aging populations and labour shortages in the welfare sector.
The challenge lies in getting new arrivals to stay in the long run – and not moving to the city areas once they have been granted a residence permit. It is about getting a home and be included in both work and social networks. “So you feel at home and feel needed”, as a refuge expressed it.
Conclusions and policy implications
- Clear leadership in the municipality showing that immigration and integration is a growth issue
- Help finding permanent housing, preferably near asylum housing
- Well-developed cooperation between municipalities in the region and within the municipality – with the local business community, public employers and civil society through an integration coordinator and mentoring program for faster skills mapping, job matching, language training and social community.
Learning examples and facts
Here we highlight a few small or peripheral Nordic municipalities that have managed to increase the number of new arrivals that remain in the area. The learning examples come from the report “From migrants to workers” and the Norwegian District Centre’s report. We also give voice to relevant actors who are given the opportunity to contribute their personal experiences and reflections on the theme.
Facts are supplemented by statistical data and maps showing what the migration flow looks like in the Nordic countries.
Research on the theme
Housing
20 Jan 2022
Avtalt selvbosetting. En bærekraftig ordning for framtidig bosetting av flyktninger?
Denne rapporten fra By- og regionforskningsinstituttet NIBR inneholder en vurdering og analyse av tidligere og ny forskning om avtalt selvbo [...]
Work
23 Jun 2020
Strategisk mottaksplassering og treffsikker bosetting: tidlige grep for integrering av flyktninger i kommunene
En god matching av flyktningers yrkeskompetanse og kommunenes behov for arbeidskraft vil øke sannsynligheten for at flyktninger kommer rask [...]
Work
22 Jun 2020
Learning to live in a new Country – everyday social integration: Civil society and integration – Nordic rural perspective
In this paper we focus on three of the main ways civil society can play a role in the integration of refugees and immigrants. [...]
Immigration & development
28 Sep 2018
Exempel på kommunernas integrationsåtgärder i Finland
Finland blir allt mer mångkulturellt till följd av både arbetskraftsinvandring och humanitär invandring. [...]
Work
20 Jun 2018
Innvandrere og sysselsetting i et regionalt perspektiv, en kunnskapsoppsummering
Denne kunnskapsoppsummeringen er basert på norsk forskning fra perioden 2004 – 2014 som omhandler kunnskap om innvandreres sysselsetting [...]
Immigration & development
20 Jun 2018
Migration, en åldrande befolkning och offentliga finanser
Rapporten Migration, en åldrande befolkning och offentliga finanser är skriven av Lennart Flood och Joakim Ruist. Den utgör en bilaga til [...]
Immigration & development
20 Jun 2018
Derfor blir vi her
Arbeid, bolig, gode oppvekstsvilkår for barn, sosial kontakt og deltakelse er alle viktige faktorer for at innvandrere skal velge å bose [...]
Work
20 Jun 2018
From Migrants to Workers: International migration trends in the Nordic countries
This paper is one of several outputs of a project called From Migrants to Workers: Immigrants’ Role in Local Labour Markets in the Nordic [...]
Work
1 Jun 2018
State of the Nordic Region 2018: Immigration and integration edition
State of the Nordic Region 2018 Migration and Integration presents a series of facts and figures showing the current state of integration wi [...]
Immigration & development
30 May 2018
Europeʼs Demographic Future
Where the Regions are headed after a Decade of Crises [...]
Immigration & development
30 May 2018
Nordic Welfare States, challenged by ageing and immigration?
This report is the third in a series of reports financed by the Nordic Social Statistical Committee (NOSOSCO), discussing future challenges [...]
Immigration & development
7 May 2018
Country Reports Nordic Region
A brief overview about the Nordic countries on population, the proportion of foreign born and asylum seekers. [...]
Maps and statistics
Immigration & development
28 Dec 2021
Internal net migration as percentage of population 2010–2018
This map shows annual average internal net migration rate at the municipal and regional level in 2010-2018. [...]
Immigration & development
11 Dec 2020
Total population change by main component 2010-2018
This map shows total population change by main component at the municipal and regional level in 2010-2018. The two components of population [...]
Immigration & development
11 Dec 2020
Typology of foreign-born population 0–19 years 2019
This map shows Nordic municipalities classified by the characteristics of foreign-born young population (under 19 years of age) [...]
2 Nov 2020
Major immigration flows to the Nordic Region by country of origin 2010-2019
The map shows annual average immigration flows above 3,000 people, and the growing diversity in their countries of origin. [...]
Immigration & development
15 Oct 2020
Largest minority group by municipality 2018
The figure shows the largest minority group in each of the municipalities and the proportion of the total municipal population made up by th [...]
Immigration & development
29 Sep 2020
Employment rates of foreign-born and native-born persons by region and education 2019
The map shows employment rates 2019 of the native and the foreign-born population in different Nordic regions (NUTS 2 level). [...]
Immigration & development
15 Mar 2019
Asylum seekers by municipality in March 2017
This map shows the number of asylum seekers per municipality, for the Nordic Region in March 2017. [...]
Immigration & development
15 Mar 2019
Asylum seekers as share of the total population by municipality in March 2017
This map shows the share of asylum seekers as a share of the total population in Nordic municipalities. [...]
Unaccompanied young
15 Mar 2018
Unaccompanied minors per 1000 inhabitants 2015
In 2015 more than 45000 unaccompanied minors sought asylum in the Nordic countries. This map shows their distribution across the Nordic muni [...]
Immigration & development
15 Mar 2018
Total population change 2002-2008 and 2009-2015
Average total population change (in percent) in 2002-2008 and 2009-2015. [...]
Immigration & development
15 Mar 2018
Youth population 2016
Population aged 15-29 as a share of the total population in 2016. [...]
Examples of best practice for the theme
New arrivals as a resource for the rural area
Biblioteket på Berg – plass og hjerte for alle
Innvandrere i Berg kommune har norske venner, de er aktive i lokalsamfunnet og langt flere er i arbeid enn gjennomsnittet i norske kommuner. [...]
New arrivals as a resource for the rural area
Närpes kommun
Den lilla staden Närpes i västra Finland har gjort sig känd för sitt proaktiva och lyckade integrationsarbete. Det började småskaligt [...]
New arrivals as a resource for the rural area
Herøy kommun
De norra regionerna och kustområdena i Norge är mycket beroende av arbetskraft utifrån för fiskerinäringen. Nordland-regionen stöder i [...]
New arrivals as a resource for the rural area
Sunne kommun
År 2016 lämnade 55 personer Arbetsförmedlingens etableringsuppdrag i Sunne. Mer än hälften, 64 procent, fick arbete. Det placerar kommu [...]
New arrivals as a resource for the rural area
Ísafjarðarbær kommun
I Island har frågor om integration främst varit kopplade till arbetskraftsinvandring. Det handlar om att möta behovet av arbetskraft. Ny [...]
New arrivals as a resource for the rural area
Ísafjörður – Integration in the Arctic North
At 66° north in the municipality Ísafjörður in the Icelandic West fjords, live close to four hundred immigrants, where the total populat [...]
New arrivals as a resource for the rural area
Holistic approach to integration in Northern Norway
In Nordland County people are aware of the multifaceted needs of migrants arriving in the county. In addition of the support of skills enhan [...]
New arrivals as a resource for the rural area
Working with integration across the Faroe Islands
The case of the Faroe Islands in relation to integration efforts is an example of how the whole policy field of immigration and integration [...]
New arrivals as a resource for the rural area
Punkalaidun
Punkalaidun, a small, rural municipality in Southwest Finland with just 3 000 inhabitants has been working with humanitarian migration for o [...]
New arrivals as a resource for the rural area
Ísafjörður – Integration in the Arctic North
At 66° north in the municipality Ísafjörður in the Icelandic West fjords, live close to four hundred immigrants, where the total populat [...]
New arrivals as a resource for the rural area
Åre kommun
Åre by har cirka 1 500 invånare, Åre kommun cirka 11 000. Som mest hade Åre kommun 1 050 asylsökande boende i kommunen. Förra året to [...]
New arrivals as a resource for the rural area
Gloppen – snudde opp-ned på tradisjonalt utdanningsløp
Eldreomsorgen har fått sårt tiltrengt kvalifisert helsefagpersonell, innvandrere har fått fagkompetanse, kommet raskere inn i arbeidslive [...]
Seminars on the theme
No related seminars found.
News on the theme
Work
6 Apr 2022
Åre lykkes med å beholde nye innbyggere
Kommuneledelsen i Åre kommune ser på innvandrere og andre tilflyttere som en viktig ressurs for å få god utvikling. Nøkkelen til de god [...]
Housing
20 Jan 2022
Bør flyktninger med oppholdstillatelse kunne finne bolig selv?
Gjennom ordningen ‘avtalt selvbosetting’ kan flyktninger til Norge finne egen bolig og få den godkjent av myndighetene, i stedet for at [...]
Immigration & development
18 Mar 2021
Allt fler beviljade medborgarskap
Under 2020 ökade antalet beviljade svenska medborgarskap med 25 procent jämfört med 2019. Samtidigt minskade antalet invandringar till Sv [...]
Work
25 Jan 2021
Island: Invandrarna har fått fler rättigheter
Sverige ligger fortfarande högst i Norden, men Island hade den största ökningen i MIPEX index om integrationspolitik. Från 2014 till 201 [...]
