“Attraction work is an ecosystem where everyone can contribute”

North Sweden Green Deal was a springboard into the future. Now Norrbotten has taken off. – Keep up the good work, we do it locally but also together, said Lotta Lestander, Arjeplog, when the subproject Attraction had its closing conference.

The project that has built capacity to manage societal transformation has been successful. But the challenges do not end with the North Sweden Green Deal. Norrbotten's population supply in particular is both an acute and long-term problem. We need to get really sharp and work with attraction and recipient capacity for decades to come.

– Alone we are not always strong, but we can make fantastic contributions if we join hands. My absolute ambition is that we will continue to work on these issues, take the lead and support you, said Janus Brandin, regional development director at Region Norrbotten, to the municipalities gathered at a hotel in Luleå.

New paths

The municipalities in Norrbotten have dared to think and do new things and have trodden new paths. The main idea of ​​the subproject Attraction has been that all 14 municipalities should receive help to find their way, since they are in different places. But also to collaborate and share experiences and what they have developed. At the closing conference in Luleå, they had the opportunity to both tell stories and be inspired.

– This gives so much, what we absorb today! said Magdalena Forsman, migration pilot Gällivare municipality.

Magdalena Forsman, relocation pilot Gällivare, was able to both inspire and be inspired at the closing conference. Photo: Simon Eliasson

With the help of the Swedish Lapland Visitors Board, the municipalities have each identified what they need to work on to market their municipality and manage the interest that is created. One measure that many of the municipalities have chosen to focus on is to build up an image bank as part of the work on the place brand.

– The effort within NSGD has enabled the start of an image bank as part of the communication work in the municipality of Älvsbyn. We want people who show life in Älvsbyn. The images show shopping, that you can swim, club life, an active leisure life. It is something that can be built on, said Sofia Lundberg, business developer at the municipality.

Move-in service paves the way

When the project started in April 2022, Piteå, as the first municipality in Norrbotten, had just started a move-in service. Now it exists, or is in the works, in most of the county's municipalities. In Pajala and Övertorneå, it is Åsa Morin who guides curious people on the path to a new life in Tornedalen.

“We have a registration function on our website. From there, the coaching begins and we find out everything about their life situation and wishes,” she said.

Moving-in guide Åsa Morin is in close contact with prospective movers. Photo: Simon Eliasson

Åsa Morin described close contact with a family with children in southern Sweden, with many questions about everything from the cold to mosquitoes.

– And then this summer it came: “Hey Åsa, we bought a house yesterday”. When we have invested so much time and laid a good foundation, the chance is so great that they will come. We have worked a lot with employers too. They may ask: “Do you have any electricians on the move-in list?”.

Mobilize society

The relative veterans in this context, Piteå's Hannah Degerman and Fredrik Blom, have had time to helping 125 people find jobs and housing since March 2022They highlighted the importance of mobilizing the entire community, to make everyone want to be part of “Move to Piteå”.

– We received a fantastic response from real estate agents and civil society. I don't think Piteå feels good about having a move-in service that is just us. It has to be our young people, those who moved in from the Netherlands, those who live here, said Hannah Degerman.

Fredrik Blom and Hannah Degerman have managed to guide 125 immigrants to jobs and housing in Piteå. On the right: Project manager Stina Almkvist. Photo: Simon Eliasson.

The strategy of mobilizing the entire local community is repeated in several places. Lotta Lestander, CEO of Arjeplog's business company Argentis, spoke about the broad gathering of power in the municipality.

– What the project has made us do is sit down at the same table and talk. We brought in the church, cultural associations, the museum, people from the municipality. The attraction work is a puzzle, it has to do with ambassadorship, that the municipality is a good place to live, reside and run a business in. It is an ecosystem where everyone can contribute. How do we talk about the municipality, who can be attesters, what kind of story do we have? The Arjeplogshus Foundation, for example, their message is not just that we have so and so many vacant apartments. It is that “with us you know the names of our caretakers, you say hello to them when you meet them in the yard”.

“A completely different bounce”

The work in Hej Hemby in Pajala/Övertorneå has also been built on the commitment in very small villages.

– All municipalities say that this is great, but when the people who live there say it and show it off – then it becomes a completely different experience. They have given such traction, said Johanna Funck, location marketer and project manager Hej Hemby, Pajala municipality.

Johanna Funck from Hej Hemby highlighted the great commitment in the villages of Tornedalen. Photo: Simon Eliasson

“Open the right doors”

The municipality of Boden has identified the community as crucial for providing new residents with the community they need to thrive and stay.

– The associations need more active people and rejuvenation, the social connections are already there. How can we be the cogwheel between the new residents and the associations? We have looked at that in the project, said Linnea Byberg, coordinator, Boden Municipality.

– Those who have come to H2 Green Steel see that it is not so lively in town and wonder what we Swedes actually do. Then we can answer that we do a lot – we will just help you open the right doors.

The plans that have taken shape include a physical meeting place for associations, an interest bank and help with communication. To make the associations more visible, a prototype was developed for a digital service, FIND YOUR FUN. It is a bit like a Tinder for leisure interests and has been tested on H2 Green Steel families and students at Boden Game Camp. Now the municipality will build on what has been started.

Linnea Byberg talked about the plans to use the community to offer new residents a social context. Photo: Simon Eliasson

Gällivare has also recognized the importance of community and, among other things, has worked with social activities for new residents.

– We have been able to offer kayaking, guided tours of the city's transformation, a famous photographer who talks about moving in - these are activities for those who are new or returning to Gällivare. It's like mentoring, those who have been there on four occasions take care of the brand new ones, said Madelene Nilsson, HR consultant Competence Supply.

“Goosebumps off the stand”

Several of the municipalities have had visits from Dutch people who visited in April this year. The Arctic Sweden booth at the Emigration Expo in UtrechtEleven of the county's municipalities, the Norrbotten Region and the Employment Service Eures gathered there under a common flag.

– You got goosebumps when you saw the stand. We thought: has the municipality sent us, two dwarf birches that will stand there? We have received 25 leads from the fair that we worked with, we sat down and sent emails and pictures, during the summer we have had two visitors and we continue to be in contact, said Madelene Nilsson.

Magdalena Forsman and Madeleine Nilsson testified about intense days at the Emigration Expo in the Netherlands. Photo: Simon Eliasson.

Monica Backman, who was then completely new as the move-in coordinator for Luleå, agreed.

– It felt like we were a team, “we come from Norrbotten.” The team spirit when we started in the morning, it was a huge strength.

Shocked by the interest

Haparanda has also had visits from the Dutch and, among other things, visited potential workplaces. Jenna Laitinen, project manager, and Annu Lakkala, business strategist, were initially shocked by the great interest at the Emigration Expo.

– We were invited to the municipal council and told what we had seen and experienced. It was an eye-opener – there are actually people who want to move here too, said Jenna.

Annu Lakkala and Jenna Laitinen were shocked by the Dutch interest in their municipality. Photo: Simon Eliasson.

After Expo, Swedish Lapland and Region Norrbotten, on the initiative of Janna and Annu, have held workshops with policies around the needs of immigrants. This includes clear and easily accessible information, also in languages ​​other than Swedish. Several of the municipalities now have landing pages for potential immigrants and more are on the way. Two that are ready are the multilingual flyttatillarvidsjaur.se and flyttatillboden.se.

– There is information about housing, areas, preschool, school, leisure time, but here we need to help the community to become visible. There is a registration of interest for work and an events calendar, said Linnea Byberg, Boden Municipality.

Kalix invests in "returnees"

Kalix Municipality has used the project to work on a landing page for new residents – or “returnees” as the municipality prefers. That page has not yet been launched.

– The website should present villages and different areas in central Kalix. Have storytelling about people who have moved here and 25 reasons to move to Kalix. Not only show the beautiful nature but also a place that lives, like the Summer Party, says Birgitta M Larsson, business manager.
– We have had great support from Swedish Lapland in our work with target group segmentation.

Kalix is ​​one of many municipalities that is now launching a move-in service. Photo: Simon Eliasson.

Överkalix highlights that the municipality has vacant housing, good commuting distances to other municipalities and space for more children in preschool and school. There are already many French people and some Dutch and Germans who have moved in. But it is important to get the message out about what the municipality has to offer.

– Marketing is everything, you can work yourself to death with changes, but if you don't know anything about it, it won't help, says Sara Söderberg, Överkalix Municipality.

Students went to EPA

A small-scale and simple initiative that has increased LTU students' awareness of the county is Green Deal Buses. A small number of interested students were able to visit a municipality and get a picture of life and opportunities outside the campus on Porsön. During the spring of 2023, almost all municipalities were visited, including Arjeplog.

– 17 students came to us and they got to go to EPA and have dinner at families' homes, meet different types of employers and drive on ice. It was very successful. We really felt that it made a difference. They had to fill out a survey before and after and everyone thought it was great fun. We got to be seen and show ourselves off. It was a very effective way to show that you can stay and do fun things after your studies, said Lotta Lestander.

Emma Jonsson, growth strategist in Kiruna, sought collaboration on an SMS service. Photo: Simon Eliasson.

Within the North Sweden Green Deal, Kiruna Municipality has explored ways to increase knowledge about those who move to Kiruna – but also those who choose to leave the municipality. At the closing conference, growth strategist Emma Jonsson showed a prototype that Kiruna is now seeking collaboration on.

“Strong door opener”

– What are the driving forces for moving to Kiruna? What are the driving forces for moving away? What does that tell us, what can we improve? We have therefore developed an SMS service. It was put together quickly to do some user testing. Many of the movers were happy to tell us. You can be angry or disappointed with Kiruna, they may have felt forced to move. It was a strong door opener, said Emma Jonsson.

The goal is to obtain a qualitative decision-making basis for the municipality.

– What are the driving forces on which we should make well-founded political decisions? It will be a basis that can be used.

Emma Jonsson showed the prototype for a service that will provide answers about the driving forces behind both immigration and emigration. Photo: Simon Eliasson.

In the sub-project Attraction, the target group has been lifestyle migrants – people from other countries who are looking for a new life, often close to nature. There is interest, but also an obstacle: the language. Several municipalities highlight the lack of workplaces that accept English. In the mining and steel industry and the tourism industry, it often works, but otherwise the opportunities are small.

– The companies are the ones who are to blame. We are lecturing about what will happen if they don't accept English, that job seekers will skip Piteå, says Hannah Degerman.

Lowering the thresholds for English

To lower the thresholds, they brought English-speaking job seekers to a business breakfast.

– Who can say no when foreign immigrants are at the business breakfast? There was a chemical engineer there who didn't know a word of Swedish, but she was hired the same day. Everyone has a job these days.

For healthcare, it is even more difficult, as Nina Ekbäck at Region Norrbotten's HR department testified. The National Board of Health and Welfare has high requirements for knowledge of Swedish in order to issue Swedish identification, and without language and identification, lifestyle migrants cannot staff the hard-pressed healthcare.

– Now we recruit more those who are educated in third countries. You can sit in Iran and learn Swedish and take exams. It's more interesting because they already know Swedish when they apply, says Nina Ekbäck.

The closing conference brought together the key people within the sub-project Attraction in the North Sweden Green Deal. The work is now continuing in other forms. Photo: Simon Eliasson

The societal challenges are many, but so are the solutions. New paths are now running all over Norrbotten – within municipalities, between municipalities, out into the world. Now the work begins to take advantage of what we have built together.

– The development of attraction and recipient capacity continues, some as regular operations, others as new projects, says Stina Almkvist, project manager responsible for the attraction part of the North Sweden Green Deal project.

By: Sara Stylbäck Vesa
Photo: Simon Eliasson

The North Sweden Green Deal is an initiative to realize a sustainable societal transition, in the wake of the new industrial establishments.

The project is run by Region Norrbotten and Region Västerbotten together with a number of other actors. It is financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).