Emigration and labour market policy

The study examines emigration from Finland to Sweden and its economic consequences. Initially emigration was even regarded as beneficial as a means of alleviating the unemployment problem, but in the course of the 1960s attitudes changed as waves of emigration grew explosively. By the time the 1970s arrived, Finland was facing a threatening labour shortage. In 1972, approximately 110,000 Finnish citizens were working in Sweden, representing a substantial transfer of human capital — calculated at approximately nine billion marks in value.

The disadvantages of emigration are manifold: it weakens both the quantity and quality of the labour force, widens regional disparities particularly in the eastern and northern parts of the country, and takes with it labour, taxpayers, and the preconditions for economic growth. The great majority of emigrants are young people in the prime working age, which places a particular burden on the situation of development regions that are already weaker.

The study seeks to examine the causes of emigration and its connections to broader economic and social policy questions, and to assess labour market policy instruments for resolving the problem. (AI translation)

• ISSN: 0358-5980
• ISBN: 951-9281-00-2