Every year, some 400 to 500 Finns relocate to Norway, a number that has remained stable for years.
Finns’ migration to Norway has been significantly lower compared to Sweden, where up to 2,000 Finnish citizens move each year. But now, Norway is of much greater interest to Finns than Sweden, according to the Nordic Council of Ministers’ advisory service.
In Finland, the threshold for moving to Sweden has been perceived to be quite low. Nevertheless, many are now choosing to move to Norway in pursuit of better wages. The trend is particularly pronounced among nurses.
At the same time Finland is suffering from staff shortages in the healthcare sector.
Nearly one thousand registered and practical nurses in Finland asked to be struck off the national register last year. A common reason for leaving the profession, according to licensing body Valvira, was dissatisfaction with the current state of the profession.
This past summer, an Yle inquiry found that hospital wards across Finland had to close or reduce the number of beds available due to nursing shortages.
Source: Yle
