On behalf of Region Jämtland Härjedalen (Sweden), Future Place Leadership conducted an international target market analysis to identify and prioritise the most relevant international markets for the region’s future talent needs. The aim was to provide a strategic knowledge base for employers, public actors and other organisations working with long-term talent attraction and workforce development.

From skills shortages to priority markets

The project started with an analysis of occupations that are particularly difficult to recruit nationally. Three key competence areas were prioritised for deeper analysis: digital talent, vocational technical talent, and professionals within health and care services.

To identify relevant target markets, we conducted an extensive desk-based analysis combining multiple international datasets and analytical perspectives. The analysis focused on factors such as the size of relevant talent pools, labour market conditions, international mobility patterns and practical feasibility for international recruitment.

As a key methodological step, Future Place Leadership developed a market evaluation matrix in which potential target markets were assessed and compared using a range of criteria related to talent availability, education capacity, mobility and recruitment feasibility. By systematically weighing these factors, it was possible to prioritise the markets with the greatest strategic potential for the region’s employers.

The result was a clear prioritisation of international markets where the likelihood of reaching relevant talent is highest.

Understanding motivations, lifestyle preferences and relocation decisions

Identifying where talent exists is only one part of successful international talent attraction. Equally important is understanding what motivates people to relocate and what they look for in a place to live and work.

To complement the market analysis, we conducted a quantitative survey targeting professionals within the prioritised competence groups in the identified markets. The survey provided deeper insights into:

• motivations and drivers for international relocation
• lifestyle preferences and expectations related to work and place
• what information potential movers look for when considering relocation
• the types of support that are most important when moving to another country
• which channels and platforms people use to explore job opportunities abroad

The quantitative analysis also made it possible to identify target markets where there is a strong lifestyle match between the preferences of the talent groups and what Region Jämtland Härjedalen can offer – such as access to nature, work–life balance and opportunities for an active lifestyle.

These insights are critical for developing relevant messaging and positioning a region in a way that resonates with international talent.

By combining insights about where talent exists with an understanding of what motivates them, the project created a more comprehensive picture of how the region can reach and attract the right audiences.

A strategic and practical decision-making tool

The results were compiled into a strategic and practical framework to support the region’s continued work with international talent attraction.

The final analysis includes:

• prioritised international target markets
• insights into motivations and preferences among different talent groups
• identified lifestyle matches between target groups and the region
• recommendations on messaging and positioning
• guidance on the most effective channels for reaching different talent groups in different countries

By combining multiple data sources, analytical methods and target group insights, the project provides a robust foundation that enables regional actors and employers to work more strategically, effectively and resource-efficiently with international recruitment.

Want to know where your region should start?

Many regions and municipalities recognise that attracting international talent will be essential for future workforce development. However, many lack a clear evidence-based understanding of which markets to focus on and how to approach them.

Future Place Leadership helps regions, cities and organisations identify the right target markets, understand the motivations of international talent and develop data-driven strategies for attracting the skills they need.

Get in touch with us to learn more about how we can help you identify the most relevant tarket markets that can offer talents matching you skills need and lifestyle preferences. 

The post Region Jämtland Härjedalen – Identifying the right international talent markets first appeared on Future Place Leadership.

The result: Introducing our latest product: The International Talent Studies

The International Talent Studies is meant for government agencies, national and regional investment promotion agencies, investors and employers responsible for business and talent acquisition but challenged by a tight labor market and increasing competition for talent on a global scale:

1. What are the most wanted profiles in your region?
2. Where in the world are they to be found and,
3. How to make them choose you?

Knowing the answers to these three questions is the foundation of successful innovation hubs and regions. Securing Access to Talent starts with understanding the needs of your customer: employers and talent.  


The value for you

The International Talent Studies helps you respond (more) adequately to the talent risks that companies and organizations experience on a daily basis: can I find enough of the right talent to deliver my services and navigate the energy transition, digitization and other transformations that result from the world around us. The insights are key in strengthening regional economic structures, cluster development, and strategic Talent Attraction Management.

The International Talent Studies: three modules 

For the acquisition and retention efforts to pay off, employers and public and private service providers need to know:

• Who are we looking for? | Demand for Talent analysis

1. 1. 1. What kind of professions or profiles are most wanted?
      2. What kind of skills: professional, digital and social skills? 
      3. How many? 
      4. What are the fastest growing profiles and skills?
      5. Today and in the near future?

• Where to be found? | Scarcity levels and availability

1. 1. 1. Levels of scarcity: how available are these specific talents in the home market and elsewhere, in Europe, rest of the world? 
      2. Likelihood to relocate internationally
      3. to your country specifically?

• How to attract / retain? | Drivers and Perceptions of Talent

1. 1. What motivates people regarding international career mobility? 
      1. What are the more generic drivers? 
      2. What is more specific to age, educational background, profession or nationality?  
      3. Which of them relate more to the working environment, which ones to the living environment? 
      4. Which are most decisive?
   2. What is the image of your country / region / city as a career destination amongst international professionals? 
      1. Level of knowledge
      2. Level of preference as a career destination?
   3. What is the reputation: how do internationals experience the quality of the career destination in person?

Another way to look at it:

– The first question relates to the Employer needs. What makes them lie awake?

– The second question requires an analysis of the supply of talent home and abroad with the focus on the most wanted profiles and skills.

– The third question relates to the Talent needs. What do they expect regarding the working and living environment and what would make them relocate abroad for a career step?  

 The research framework provides three chapters that can be delivered as modules or a holistic set of insights.

Actionable insights for a strong regional economy 

The data and insights gained from the International Talent Studies help build the foundation to successfully:

• Strengthen the regional economic structures by means of an enabling labor market. The demand-driven process ensures better alignment between the supply of talent with innovation and employer needs;
• Align stakeholders on a strategic and targeted Talent attraction and retention Agenda focused on the most wanted profiles by the collective of employers; 
• Deliver the business case for more investments in the Talent Intelligence function – the data-driven approach;
• Optimize the talent / candidate journey based on the talent central approach: what are their needs and expectations and how do they assess the current offering?
• Fine tune your employer place brand and proposition to very specific target groups;
• Targeted awareness and recruitment campaigns: knowing whom to target, in which geographical areas, with content matching the interests and needs of the specific target group;
• Talent management: aligning your staff development and retention efforts with the fastest growing skills needs.

International Talent Studies and the Human Capital Agenda 

The International Talent Studies aim at optimizing programs to attract and retain internationals to the labor market. However, the insights are also very valuable in the broader scope of the Human Capital Agenda:

– Talent Development
The insights help educational institutes to align curricula with the (future) talent needs of employers. Also, up- and reskilling programs can build on the definition of most wanted and fastest growing skills as shown in the analysis.


– Talent Activation 

A considerable part of government resources is spent on activating people more or less distanced from the labor market to enter the workforce again. Knowing where their skills are needed most  and how to align their skills with the needs, will help increase the return on investments and contribute to making approaches more efficient and effective. 

Who is the study for?

The outcomes are most relevant to the following stakeholders:

• Government staff responsible for (the marketing of) a competitive foreign direct investment and career destination. 
• Owners and management of companies exploring international labor markets for talent acquisition and retention. 
• HR-professionals and recruiters looking for the best candidates abroad.
• Local service providers in real estate, healthcare, childcare, banking and the legal / immigration domain to better understand the expectations of their (lead) clients. 

Pay per number of profiles and target countries

The price for each module is €12.500 ex vat per module / chapter or €30.000 for the International Talent Studies including the three modules:

I. What are the most wanted profiles / skills?
Demand for Talent analysis:
Profiles and skills, now and near future
Cross-sectoral, impact of transitions on demand for talent

II. Where to be found?
Scarcity levels and geographical availability

III. How to attract?
International career mobility drivers: generic and per sub-segment
Perception study: image and reputation of a place.

Download Product Sheet

Contact & queries

Get in touch with us if you are interested in knowing more about the report and how we can help your region to get better at attracting talent.

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The post International Talent Studies first appeared on Future Place Leadership.

Background

Future Place Leadership was invited to develop a proposal for a Netherlands Talent Index, delivered within our product portfolio as an International Talent Perception Study.

Commissioned in collaboration with the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy – responsible for attracting and retaining international talent – this initiative also engages the Netherlands Point of Entry (NPoE) and members of the Talent Coalition.

With labour shortages at historically high and structurally persistent levels – driven by demographic change and socio-economic transitions – there is an urgent need for deeper insight into how international STEM talent perceives living and working in the Netherlands.

Understanding these perceptions is critical to shaping effective, evidence-based Talent Attraction Management strategies aligned with national goals.

The solution

The outcomes of the Study answers the questions above and shed more light on potential discrepancies between own government and stakeholder  assumptions and those held by the target group considering a move to another country to work and live. The methodology followed these 3 steps:

In summary

The Study gives a clear picture of perceived pleasures and pitfalls that exist in the minds of international STEM talent regarding the Netherlands. Perceptions are always real for the beholder. It is the clients’ task to influence perceptions to better serve the talent acquisition goals. The Study will increase awareness of our own bias and help to demystify misbeliefs we hold.

Who are these studies for?

• For government at national, regional and local level responsible for (the marketing of) a competitive business and residential climate with the aim to foster relocation decisions by both FDI and talent, in favour of their Place.
• For innovation districts to develop, deliver and optimize a proposition in alignment with the expectations of (lead)clients. Goal is to attract and/or retain businesses and talent for the district. 
• For companies with an urgent demand for talent exploring international labour markets for talent acquisition and retention of internationals currently working in their organization.
• For educational and knowledge institutes to support their acquisition and retention activities aimed at international students.
• For employers in the public domain that consider attracting talent from abroad.
• For local service providers in real estate, healthcare, childcare, banking and the legal / immigration domain that would like to better understand the expectations of their (lead) clients.

Download product sheet

FPL_Perception Study 2024

Contact & queries

Get in touch with us if you are interested in knowing more about the report and how we can help your region to get better at attracting talent.

More on the topic

Find our free handbooks & white papers on Talent Attraction at our handbook library!

The post The Netherlands – International Talent Perception Study  first appeared on Future Place Leadership.

Find the report here (in Swedish)

Today, city centres across the globe are currently in the midst of yet another transformation, largely propelled by the rise of e-commerce and further accelerated by the lasting effects of the pandemic. The traditional focus on shopping as the core function of city centres has diminished as more people opt for online purchases, and the reduction in visitors due to health concerns and remote work has necessitated a reevaluation of the city centre’s purpose.

Like so many other cities, the City of Malmö (Sweden’s third largest city) is currently in the process of setting up a new city centre strategy for how to create a vibrant, attractive and inclusive city centre in the future.

The task

As a first step in this process, Future Place Leadership was hired to provide insight and analysis as a foundation for the strategy. Our work included:

• A historic overview of how cities (and the city of Malmö in particular) have changed and evolved
• A trend spotting analysis to help identify and understand emerging patterns, preferences, and behaviours of residents, businesses, and visitors alike – both in Sweden and internationally
• A forecast based on current trends, exploring how Malmö’s city centre can remain relevant in the era of digital shopping and remote work, emphasising the importance of an flexible, adaptive urban space that caters to a wide range of interests and needs.

The output

It is clear that the emphasis is shifting towards offering unique experiences, cultural events, and community engagement. City centres are becoming vibrant hubs that prioritise enriching experiences, fostering a sense of belonging, and promoting cultural exchange, aiming to attract both residents and visitors seeking a diverse array of activities beyond mere transactions. Malmö’s commitment to sustainability, culture and economic vitality makes it well-equipped to foster a city centre that not only adapts to the challenges of the present but also thrives in an ever-changing future. In doing so, Malmö city centre can become a vibrant and interconnected community where residents of all backgrounds can live, work, and flourish together.

This report is meant to serve as a source of inspiration and practical guidance, helping Malmö tailor its city centre strategy to its unique context while leveraging the tested strategies of peer cities to foster a city centre that is not just resilient but also a dynamic and thriving hub for its residents and visitors alike.

Does your city or municipality need help with reviving the city centre? Get in touch!

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The post Malmö, Sweden – Trend Analysis on the Future of City Centre first appeared on Future Place Leadership.

How do you become a world leading Investment Promotion Agency in 2025? This is the question we asked some of the most renowned city and regional investment promotion agencies (IPAs) in the world in collaboration with Copenhagen Capacity and European Talent Mobility Forum. Based on initial research by Future Place Leadership, we aligned trends we saw in the market, with expert insights directly from the industry including these seven organizations: Berlin Partner, Brainport Development, Copenhagen Capacity, Helsinki Business Hub, Invest Stockholm, Montreal International, and Tel Aviv Global.

The challenge

Copenhagen Capacity is an award winning economic development agency and by many industry peers considered to be Champions League. Yet to win such a tournament each year (to use the soccer analogy), one can not rest on its laurels. Hence the organisation is always keen to understand, what is happening in the world related to the business of attracting investors, that one should adopt its strategy to, or completely change direction to accommodate. The challenge of this assignment was exactly that: Understanding the future market and providing recommendations on how to adapt strategically and operationally already now.

We identified 4 key questions as guiding principles for the research and interviews:

1. What would it take to be the best Investment Promotion Agency by 2025?
2. What do you need to do in the next five years to maintain a leading position?
3. What are the respective roles of FDI, talent attraction, and placemaking? And how do they all work together?
4. What trends really matter to our industry?

The solution

This white paper introduces eight recommendations for the future of investment promotion. Some relate to a changing world and economies, with technologies and the environmental crisis deeply affecting our ways of living, consuming, working, and producing. In reaction or to  accommodate these trends, the role of Investment promotion agencies has also started to change. Instead of being the “salespeople” of their cities, regions, or nations, they are working strategically with public and private actors to facilitate the local economic ecosystems. This require specific knowledge on the priority industries, but also knowledge of actors to connect them.

The result  

The eight recommendations are:

1. Talents are your biggest asset
2. Be a digital infrastructure leader
3. Soft landing matters to investors
4. This is an emotional business
5. IPAs’ skill-sets will change
6. A clear and distinct value proposition
7. Sustainability moves to the forefront
8. Diversify the investment mix

Download the report for free here!

Any questions, or something we can help you with? Get in touch!

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The post Copenhagen, Denmark -The Future of Investment Promotion: How to Become a World Leading Investment Promotion Agency in 2025? first appeared on Future Place Leadership.

The competition for investments, talent, visitors and public resources is no doubt intensifying between places – and the winners have been the capitals and other urban centres. This is the backdrop against which the Norwegian region Vestfold & Telemark decided to launch their Regional Development project “Working smarter together”. The process focuses on innovating how different regional stakeholders can out-smart the competition with better collaboration in the future – and secure growth and opportunities for both its current and future residents and companies.

The challenge

Smart collaboration, innovation, commitment and creativity are the desired key words in the work to strengthen the attractiveness of Vestfold & Telemark when it comes to green transition, development and growth and to attract investment, tourists and talent. The client asked us to develop a methodology to use in betterment of collaboration between the municipality and the wider range of different actors in the ecosystem.

The solution

Adapting Design Thinking into the core of the collaboration between different stakeholders. The aim is for actors in the region to be able to use a baseline framework for different processes with a concrete toolbox to develop prototypes for future development work where several municipalities or actors work together. All of this is part of the same goal: To work smarter together.

The result  

“Work smarter together” offers a common language for development work and a solid set of methods to rely on, a toolbox.

This framework for economic development through a Design Thinking approach has its core in investigating what the underlying problems are, explore different solutions and continuously test proposed solutions on target groups or the end user. Thus, both the problem and the solution change when new insights are gained. We call the process we have developed for Working Smarter Together the Triple Diamond, because it functions as a framework with three subsequent phases:

1. Understand: an exploratory start to ensure a correct understanding of the user’s needs or challenge.
2. Create: With an understanding of the actual need or challenge, we can “brainstorm” and find ways to solve the challenge.
3. Deliver: With one or more proposed solutions, we have developed prototypes to be tested, improved and finally launched

Any questions, or something we can help you with? Get in touch!

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Find our free handbooks & white papers on Investment Promotion in our handbook library!

The post Vestfold & Telemark, Norway – Framework for Economic Development Through Design Thinking first appeared on Future Place Leadership.

As part of Region Blekinge’s action plan to strengthen its attractiveness through the development of cultural and creative industries, Future Place Leadership was hired to produce a preliminary study in the form of a trend spotting analysis.

The solution

The aim of the analysis was to:

• Map out current trends and directions that exist within cultural and creative industries on a global and national level,
• Analyse how the place/destination is affected by the level of access to cultural and creative industries

The learnings 

In a time of increased digitization and new technology constantly emerging, the ways in which we produce and consume culture are also changing. Never before have we seen content being created to the extent it is today, and the number of creators only seems to increase each year.

As a result, cutting through the noise becomes increasingly difficult, and thus it becomes even more important for creators to work more user-centric, and focus on the behaviours and needs of their intended target group and adapt their storytelling accordingly to gain attention and create engagement. Technology such as AR and VR is certainly not new in itself, but is becoming an increasingly common tool used to get a bigger reach, to engage, but also to make culture available to more people. As AI is becoming more and more advanced, it’s not only an aid for data optimisation or distribution of e.g. art, but is also being used in the actual production of e.g. music, film, literature, journalism and graphic design. There are numerous examples of when AI has been a helpful tool to make our work more efficient by performing tasks that are too difficult or time-consuming for humans to perform, but the smarter and more sophisticated the technology becomes, the more the fear of competition increases.

Any questions, or something we can help you with? Get in touch!

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The post Region Blekinge, Sweden – Trend Spotting Analysis on Cultural and Creative Industries first appeared on Future Place Leadership.

Future Place Leadership was hired by Invest in Skåne, the regional investment promotion agency of Region Skåne, Sweden, to help the 12 municipalities of the Malmö-Lund region to develop a model for regional cooperation, as well as help the municipalities and the region develop their value propositions to investors.

The Malmö-Lund region is one of the main economic hotspots of Sweden, and an important contributor to the economic success of the Greater Copenhagen region. 

We helped Invest in Skåne and the municipalities to develop their skills in investment promotion, and to develop a well-packaged value proposition for each municipality as well as for the region as a whole. Last but not least, we helped the region develop a regional cooperation model for investment promotion, including jointly agreed processes and policies for both reactive and proactive promotion.   

The challenge

True regional cooperation in investment promotion between the municipalities at core of the region – the Malmö-Lund region – has been lacking. Many of the municipalities also lacked a comprehensively described and well-packaged value proposition targeting the desired investor segments.

The solution

We helped Invest in Skåne and the municipalities to tackle the challenge by:

1. Improving their skills in investment promotion, through training and coaching
2. Helping them to develop a well-packaged value proposition for each municipality as well as for the region as a whole, through coaching and pitching training  
3. Facilitating the development of regional cooperation model for investment promotion, including jointly agreed processes and policies for both reactive and proactive promotion.    

The result 

The client testifies that all the municipalities have reached a higher level of maturity when it comes to investment promotion activities – and that the municipalities have developed a higher degree of trust between each other which facilitates exchange of information, sharing of leads and dialogue on new opportunities. All the municipalities as well as the region as a whole also have updated value propositions and acquired learnings on how to create and update the value promotions in the future. Finally, the region now has a cooperation model for both proactive and reactive investment promotion.    

Any questions, or something we can help you with? Get in touch!

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The post Skåne and Malmö-Lund region, Sweden – Model for Attracting More Investments first appeared on Future Place Leadership.

Open product sheet here.

The challenge

Where would today’s and tomorrow’s qualified workforce prefer to work and live?

It is a question that many municipalities, regions, investors and employers are asking themselves – now that talent shortage is greater than ever throughout many industries.

The solution

The Talent City Index (TCI) ranks the 50 largest city regions in Sweden according to how attractive they are to skilled workforce ages 20-45. The report also forecasts which regions are at risk of losing residents in the future.  

TCI gives answers to questions such as:  

• What are your city region’s main attraction factors? What are the weaknesses that need to be developed or communicated better? 
• Among which professional and age groups is your city region most attractive? And least attractive? What other cities are competing for the same target group?   
• How big is the risk that your region will lose residents? What factors explain why people choose to stay in their current location?  
• Which driving forces are most important when moving? What obstacles does the target group experience? How do the driving forces differ between those who work and those who study and between different age and professional groups?  
• Where do different professional and age groups prefer to live and work? Where, for example, do those in IT, healthcare, teachers and engineers prefer to live and work?    

The report comes in three versions:

1. The free version which anyone can download here
2. The Analysis Report which takes a deeper dive into the data and provides more comparisons and attraction factors, find product sheet here
3. The City Region Report which provides the most data, analysis and revelas unused potential, tailored to your specific region, find product sheet here

The result – Some insights from the free version of the report

• Gothenburg beats Stockholm as Sweden’s most attractive city! Gotland comes in sixth place
• Places with the greatest risk of losing residents in the next five-year period, Blekinge ranks highest, followed by Malmö in second place
• Self-employed people and freelancers generally look for smaller municipalities such as Gotland, Falkenberg, Enköping and Eskilstuna
• People in IT and engineering rank career opportunities within a region as the most important attraction factor, while economists and those in healthcare rank lifestyle factors the highest
• Cities such as Umeå, Skellefteå, Sundsvall and Örnsköldsvik underperform in relation to their size, which indicates that northern Sweden will face major challenges in attracting new residents

Get in touch with us if you are interested in knowing more about the report and how we can help your region to get better at attracting talent.

More on the topic

Find our free handbooks & white papers on Talent Attraction at our handbook library!

The post Talent City Index Report, Sweden – Where Would Qualified Workforce Prefer to Live? first appeared on Future Place Leadership.

Switch to Sweden is a national project, financed by Vinnova, that aims to increase the number of qualified matches between Swedish companies and highly-skilled international talent that is already in Sweden. Working with Linköping Science Park, we seeked to gain more insight into these two target groups identifying needs and opportunities to improve the chance of preparing international students and Swedish companies for a successful match. 

The challenge

‘Retention is the new attraction’ – Why do 75% of international master & PhD students originally plan on staying in Sweden, but only about 20% end up doing so? Where is the gap? What doesn’t add up? And what could be the concrete steps to take to bridge that gap and get more of the talent to stay?

The recruitment of international students and researchers has become critical for Swedish organizations. This is due to the growing need for skilled talent, mostly in knowledge-intensive industries. However, as evident from data most competent international talent leaves Sweden after finishing their studies. 

The solution

We helped Linköping Science Park by taking lead on the talent part of the project to: 

1. Develop the actual questionnaire leveraging our strong experience in the Swedish market and European wide insights on talent drivers and obstacles of young professionals transitioning from graduation to professional endeavours. 
2. Provide the strategy to identify and reach the target group to secure respondents to the survey and support the operational activities of doing so. 
3. Analyse the data and provide recommendations for actions to a wide net of stakeholders across Sweden.

The result

The analysis has been based on these primary research questions:

• Why do international students come to Sweden?
• What is the experience of STEM students when they look for jobs in Sweden?
• What do students need the most help with to be able to stay after graduation?
• What are the attitudes towards recruiting international master and research talents?
• What support do companies need to be able to increase the recruitment of international students?
• What’s the general perspective of both target groups regarding the Global UN Sustainability Goals when it comes to exploring a career?

The essential findings of this report are the need to support companies and students in three specific areas:

1. Language and culture
2. Migration and administration 
3. Retention and integration

Any questions, or something we can help you with? Get in touch!

More on the topic

Future Place Leadership and Linköping Science Park are currently conducting a European wide Talent Map Survey. Read more here.

Find our free handbooks & white papers on Talent Attraction and retention at our handbook library!

The post Switch to Sweden – Data Driven Solution to Improve International Student Retention in Sweden first appeared on Future Place Leadership.