Labor Market Integration in the Baltic Sea Region : before and After EU Enlargement

Abstract

In this paper will seek to provoke a discussion on the emergence and the potential characteristics of a future common labour market in the Baltic Sea Region. Based on a study of labour force migration from Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland to Sweden and Finland during the past decade, the focus is placed on analysing the integration processes following immigration. The study relies on individual gross-stream data that allows for detailed analysis and for the comparison of labour market careers. As such, the contribution of recent westbound immigrants with differing background characteristics (individual socio-economic assets e.g. level of education, cultural background e.g. country of origin) to economic integration/segregation can be pointed out. In addition, the importance of labour migration in the Baltic Sea Region for different sectors of the old and the emerging new economy will also be discussed. Supplemented by official statistics, the Swedish pattern is then compared to similar migration characteristics in the context of Finland.