Finnish internal migration reaches record levels

print this

The eagerness of Finns to move within their own place of residence or from one municipality to another has reached new records in the 21st century when compared in five-year periods.
     
The most recent figures surpass even the levels of the large migration waves noted in the 1960s and 1970s. In the period from 2001 to 2005, a total of 1.4 million migrants moved from one municipality to another, while the corresponding figure between 1971 and 1976 remained below 1.2 million.
      In terms of individual years, last year was a record year for internal migration flows, with a total of 290,149 migrants. In comparison, in the peak year of 1974 of the large migration wave, the number of migrants was 276,034.
      Surprisingly, several communities in Southern and Western Finland have also recorded some migration losses, and the fringe area of "migration gainers" is constantly sinking downwards to the south coast.
     
Finland's population is concentrating more and more clearly in the triangle formed by the Greater Helsinki area, Turku, and Tampere. Among individual municipalities, the largest gainer in the migration development from 2001 to 2005 was Tampere, while the biggest loser in the migration race was Kajaani in Kainuu, in the north-east.
      Manager Timo Aro from Net Effect Oy, whose doctoral thesis on Finland's internal migration is being examined at the University of Turku, points out that contrary to expectations, the migration development shows no signs of calming down.
     
The experts anticipated that the figures for internal migration would decrease, as the share of inhabitants between the age of 15 to 29 is constantly declining. Moreover, the total number of municipalities has decreased, which should be seen in the migrant figures as well.
     
However, Aro finds several reasons for the continuing increase in Finland's internal migration numbers. Firstly, the government does not invest as much as before in balanced regional development.
      Furthermore, the new legislation allows even temporary residents of a community to register themselves as permanent inhabitants.
      Moreover, Finland's EU membership has led to structural change in the agricultural and forestry sectors. Globalisation, in turn, has changed people's attitudes and conceptions relating to living preferences. On the other hand, the country's increasing well-being is also reflected in its migration statistics.
     
The trend of internal migration is set by young people and students, while not even new jobs being created have sufficient attractive power to turn migration losers into places picking up new residents.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Espoo and Pirkkala take cream of internal migration in Finland (18.8.2005)

Links:
  Statistics Finland

Helsingin Sanomat