Theme: The hunt for manpower is on

While employers in particular call for more labour immigration, employees and their unions are advocating the need to take care of the work forces that already exist, while also looking out for those who are struggling to enter the labour market. Governments are considering both possibilities.

"Strategies cannot be made without understanding how the lack of manpower influences society, or without seeing where and what kind of manpower is needed",says researcher Daniel Rauhaut at the Nordic centre for regional research, Nordregio, in Stockholm. He points out that history shows us that lack of manpower can be a positive thing, and that labour immigration doesn't always help economies grow.

At the hairdresser saloon Tukkatalo in Helsinki the women working there comes from Russia, Estonia, Vietnam and Kenya, as well as Finland. "Customers are very positive to our multicultural work force", says saloon owner Johanna Ahlberg. (Picture above)