Competence mobility

“Although we have so much in common and are quite integrated in many ways, it seems like the Nordic countries have moved away from each other culturally in the past decades. With globalisation, what is further away has come closer, and as a result, we have somewhat lost interest in what is closest. We cannot change culture and people’s interests, but authorities must lead by example. And even though it takes time, structure builds culture.”  - NN, Vestfold Telemark

It has been possible to work in another Nordic country since the establishment of the joint Nordic labour market in the 1950s. Nevertheless, only 1.7% of the working-age population work in a different Nordic country from the one in which they were born, and only 0.5 % commute to a job in another Nordic country. This is below the EU average of 1%. 

In this story map, we will look into why people choose to work in another Nordic country and why not. Welcome to explore facts about the Nordic labour market mobility and stories from Greater Copenhagen, Greenland and Vestfold Telemark by scrolling down the story map! 

Meet Ella and Aisha, who are applying for jobs in restaurants in Denmark.

According to the Labour Force Survey (2022), the unemployment rate in the Greater Copenhagen is 6.4%. It is higher than the Danish average, but lower than the Swedish average.   

The highest employment in Greater Copenhagen could be found in the health and social work sectors, scientific and technical companies, and trade.

Despite the potential for labour market mobility, the findings of this case study illustrate many obstacles. These primarily involve bureaucratic red tape, but also cultural differences to some extent. The main drivers for taking a job across the border in the Greater Copenhagen region are economic and the chance to experience something new.  

In the map below, you can discover the percentage of the population in the ages between 15-64 years old that are working in the Greater Copenhagen area but originates from another Nordic country. The map shows that it is mostly Danes working in Sweden, and that people from Greenland and Sweden are the most common foreign Nordic workers in Denmark.

Meet Camilla, a Swedish nurse working in Norway.

The unemployment rate in Vestfold Telemark is 4.2% (2022). It is slightly higher than the Norwegian average. 

More than a fifth of the working population in Vestfold Telemark works in the health and social work sectors.

The map below shows the percentage of population in the ages between 15-64 years old that are working in the Vestfold Telemark area, but originates from another Nordic country. The largest Nordic minorities are Danes and Swedes.

Norway has had a strong attraction force for workers from abroad, not only because of the higher wages and historically favourable exchange rates, but also for the beautiful nature and scenery. The Covid-19 pandemic and the mobility restrictions that followed hampered workers’ cross-border mobility and may also have had long-term effects on trust in taking a job in another Nordic country.    

Meet Jesper from Denmark, who is working on a contract in Greenland.

One of the main challenges for Greenland is that of remoteness and long distances. To facilitate labour market mobility to Greenland, more investments in transport infrastructure are needed.

Greenland not only has a lack of labour but also a lack of housing, which causes problems for the local population and people that come to Greenland to work. 

In Greenland, 3.7 % of the population was unemployed in 2021.

Almost half of Greenland's working population are employed in public authorities, national defence, education and human health sectors.

Nordic labour market migration has different importance in the different countries and territories (see figure below). While the share of the working-age population born in another Nordic country has steadily decreased in Sweden and Greenland since 1990, the share in Åland and the Faroe Islands has shown the opposite pattern over the last two decades.

The results from our study show that there are different challenges at play. To analyse the findings, a model based on previous research literature was used, focusing on push and pull factors that work as attraction forces, driving forces and intervening obstacles in various fields - illustrated in the figure below.

Three keys to understanding cross-border labour market mobility were identified: 1. Attraction forces for moving or commuting to a job in another Nordic country are mainly social and cultural. 2. Driving forces are mainly economic. 3. Obstacles are mainly administrative.

While the attraction forces are mainly social and cultural, the main driving force for taking a job in another Nordic country is economic and it is in the administrative field we find the main obstacles.

The illustration shows that the main driving forces are found to be the economic benefits of working in another Nordic country, i.e. it is often higher wages or better job opportunities that influence workers to seek work in another Nordic country.

However, while economic factors do play a role also as an attraction force our findings show that they are usually not sufficient in themselves. The desire to experience something new in terms of culture, social life and natural surroundings plays a crucial role as an attraction factor.

The intervening obstacles are found in several fields, but bureaucratic red-tape connected to the political/legal/administrative field stands out as the major obstacle to taking a job in another Nordic country.

“We know what the main border barriers between the Nordic countries are. But making the necessary changes for a more seamless integration demands political will at the highest level. Leadership is therefore the most important thing moving forward."  - NN, Vestfold Telemark