Commissioned by the Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research and the Norwegian Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries, Future Place Leadership (FPL) worked alongside Menon Economics and Advokatfirmaet Lund & Co to produce the report “Foreign Research Competence in Norway – An assessment of opportunities and barriers to attracting and retaining highly qualified foreign researchers in Norway”.

In this project, Future Place Leadership was responsible for analysing Norway’s ecosystem for international talent, with a specific focus on researchers, PhD candidates and STEM master’s students. The work included:

• Mapping national, regional and local initiatives related to attraction, reception and integration

• Identifying key ecosystem actors that play a role in strengthening Norway’s position as a research and career destination and to facilitate both reception and integration

• Analysing opportunities for stronger coordination and long-term governance based on the TAM Wheel (Talent Attraction Management) – a model developed by FPL and currently used at national level in both Sweden and Finland

As part of the assignment, FPL also conducted international benchmark studies in Singapore, Canada, the Netherlands, Finland and Sweden, identifying best practices, governance models and concrete initiatives that have delivered strong results in attracting and retaining international research talent.

Key insights

Among other findings, the report highlights that:

• Foreign nationals account for a growing share of Norway’s R&D workforce, underlining the increasing importance of international talent for the country’s research and innovation capacity.

• Norway performs relatively well in attracting and educating international researchers, but faces clear challenges when it comes to long-term retention. Similar patterns can be observed in many other countries.

• International competition for experienced and leading researchers is intensifying. In recent years, many countries have committed substantial funding to attract top international researchers—particularly following significant cuts to research funding in the United States. Economic incentives have proven to be an effective policy tool in this context.

• As a result, well-functioning ecosystems for attracting, welcoming and retaining international talent are becoming increasingly critical. A coordinated and well-organised system for attraction, reception and long-term integration emerges as a key success factor.

• Norway, like several other countries, faces challenges in matching researchers with private-sector employers, limiting career opportunities for international researchers and increasing the risk of losing valuable talent for innovation. Countries with established programmes that facilitate collaboration and career pathways between academia and employers tend to be more successful in retaining international talent.

Based on the analysis, the report proposes several measures to strengthen Norway’s long-term capacity to attract, integrate and retain international research talent, and to position the country as an attractive and sustainable career destination. 

Read press release from the Norwegian government:

https://www.regjeringen.no/no/aktuelt/nar-halvparten-av-utenlandske-forskere-forlater-norge-etter-endt-doktorgrad/id3146807/?expand=factbox3146809

Download the report here.
Report – International researchers in Norway

The post New report highlights opportunities and barriers for international researchers in Norway first appeared on Future Place Leadership.

Do not miss the chance of registering to PLACExNordic with an Early Bird Discount.
Use the code: EarlyBird30  at checkout to receive the discount. Available until Nov 30. 

About PLACExNordic

PlacexNordic is Northern Europe’s meeting place for everyone working with place attractiveness – whether it’s about attracting talent, investment, visitors, or creating thriving communities for the people already living there.

Each year, we bring together city leaders, regional developers, policymakers, researchers, and business innovators to explore and test new ideas to find out what makes places resilient, competitive, and livable.

Next years theme is:

The conference will be held in Skellefteå, Sweden, 2-3 July 2026.  Few places in Europe have recently been as close to the frontline of transformation as Skellefteå, this Northern town have been through an extraordinary journey. The last couple of years Skellefteå have been through attracting one of Europe’s largest green industrial investments, to facing the shock of its collapse, and now guiding the city into its next chapter.
Skellefteå arrange  Society Expo 2026  (SE26) which is a perfect match for PLACExNordic as we are partnering up to offer you a greater value. 27 May- 9 June, 2026 Skellefteå is an international meeting place where the world gathers to explore the future of sustainable societies, innovation, and collaboration. The event will showcase pioneering ideas, groundbreaking projects, and practical solutions that address the global challenges of our time – from green energy and digitalization to inclusion and cultural transformation.

​PlacexNordic is a product of Future Place Leadership AB  a data-led agency that empowers places, cities, regions and countries, to attract and develop people and business.

Most welcome to join us at PLACExNordic 2026!

REGISTER HERE

Contact

The post Early Bird for PlacexNordic 2026 first appeared on Future Place Leadership.

Join us on May 7th @ 2 PM CET

SIGN UP

The feedback from the launch of our International Talent Studies service offering has been overwhelmingly positive. As such, we have decided to host a free webinar giving you exclusive access to the data we have, the insights we believe you should know, and provide an opportunity to connect and discuss with international peers.

Key topics:

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

Join us on May 7th online at 2 PM CET to learn more about data driven talent attraction management for places and how International Talent Studies may just be what you need. Or simply skim the product sheet here.

Sign up here

For more information, please contact

Morten King-Grubert

mkg@futureplaceleadership.com

Nicole van Haelst

nvh@futureplaceleadership.com

The post Free Webinar on Data Driven Talent Attraction – May 7th first appeared on Future Place Leadership.

The 2 most prominent ones are:

Swedish Talent Attraction Forum (STAF) is a professional network created for public sector employees working with talent attraction, reception, and integration across Sweden.

European Talent Mobility Forum (ETMF) Is a professional network amongst leading practitioners across Europe dedicated to go above and beyond in supporting companies and talents within international mobility.  Read more here.

About STAF

Launched in 2023 with an initial group of 35 participants, the network was founded to address the need for experience sharing and the exchange of best practices among peers across the country. By October 2024, as the network celebrated its one-year anniversary, membership had grown to 80 professionals, representing nearly 30 organizations. These include regions, municipalities, and welcome centers for international newcomers.

With members from all over Sweden, the forum offers a platform for discussing common challenges, sharing experiences, and driving collaborative efforts to influence policies and practices in talent attraction. By pooling knowledge and resources, STAF members can work more effectively to strengthen Sweden’s ability to attract and retain talent.

Collaboration is at the heart of STAF. To make a meaningful impact, it’s essential to learn from each other, avoid reinventing the wheel, and focus on building synergies. Together, we can enhance Sweden’s talent attraction and retention strategies.

The network meets twice a year for in-person discussions and workshops. Additionally, several shorter digital meetings are held throughout the year, featuring guest speakers who provide insights on current, relevant topics. What’s unique about STAF is that its members set the annual agenda, ensuring that the network addresses the most pressing issues and opportunities.

List of current members: Invest in Skåne, Lund International Citizen Hub , Malmö stad, Helsingborg stad, Media Evolution, Move to Gothenburg, Business region Örebro, Luleå kommun, Boden kommen, Boden Business park, Stockholm Business Region, Sundsvallregionen, Talangattraktion Höga Kusten, Region Jämtland Härjedalen, Region Gävleborg, Gateway Umeå, Umeå kommun, Region Västerbotten, Skövde kommun, Livet i Skaraborg, Business Region Värmland, Invest in Halland, Boråsregionen, Jönköpings kommun, Nacka kommun, Skellefteå kommun and International Hub Uppsala.

Are you interested in learning more about STAF, please contact Camilla Westman at cw@futureplaceleadership.com or Jessica Skantze at js@futureplaceleadership.com.

The post Do you know the Future Place Leadership networks? first appeared on Future Place Leadership.

Programmet erbjuder en unik möjlighet att tillsammans med kollegor från olika delar av Sverige utforska lösningar och nya arbetssätt för att hantera de gemensamma utmaningarna i talangattraktion. Oavsett om du representerar en mindre stad i söder eller en större region i norr, är detta en arena för erfarenhetsutbyte, inspiration och insikter. Du får tillgång till verktyg och metoder för att ta itu med de problem som är mest aktuella för just din organisation.

Vi använder oss av den välbeprövade metoden Design Thinking för att systematiskt utforska och utveckla lösningar på komplexa utmaningar. Programmet är indelat i fyra interaktiva workshoptillfällen där deltagarna arbetar både i sina egna grupper och i blandade team. Tillsammans definierar vi våra utmaningar och utforskar kreativa lösningar. Varje deltagande grupp får pitcha en lösning på en specifik utmaning under den sista workshopen, en lösning som formats och förfinats under programmets gång.

För att säkerställa att idéerna får praktisk förankring får varje grupp även fyra individuella coachningstillfällen. Syftet med dessa är att stötta deltagarna i att vidareutveckla sina lösningar så att de kan implementeras i den egna verksamheten. Programmet inkluderar också inspirationsföreläsningar med gästtalare som ligger i framkant inom sina respektive områden.

Under de senaste åren har vi haft förmånen att samarbeta med över 100 deltagare från städer, kommuner och regioner både i Sverige och Europa. Bland tidigare deltagare finns representanter från bland annat Stockholm Business Region, Skellefteå kommun, Malmö stad, Nacka kommun, Region Jämtland Härjedalen, samt Luleå och Bodens kommun som valt att delta tillsammans.

”Co-create programmet var givande på flera sätt för oss på Omvärld och näringsliv. Programmet blev en möjlighet att fördjupa oss i ämnet med kollegor som direkt eller indirekt jobbar med till talangattraktion. I denna process kunde vi hitta ett gemensamt språk kring frågan och en slags grundkunskap som kan spridas på avdelningen. Vi upplevde också stor nytta av den mängd goda exempel från runtom i landet och internationellt som presenterades.”

Henrik Nilsson, Näringslivsutvecklare, Omvärld och näringsliv, Malmö stad

“För oss var co-create programmet otroligt värdefullt, att vi som team och tillsammans med andra branschkollegor som arbetar med kompetensattraktion delat erfarenheter och utvecklat våra kunskaper. Extra kul att tillsammans angripa våra utmaningar och skapa nya lösningar”

Jenny Johansson, Head of Marketing, Business Region Örebro

”Co-Create gav oss svaret på den svåra frågan om metod och process kring talangattraktion för Gotland. Programmet skapade också nya insikter och möjligheter att samverka både internt i vår egen organisation och med andra kommuner och regioner. Vi kommer ha mycket nytta av TAM-modellen även i andra sammanhang.”

Mimmi Gibson, Biträdande enhetschef, Hållbar Tillväxt, Regional Utveckling, Region Gotland

Programmet startar i slutet av januari 2025 och pågår till maj, med fyra intensiva och inspirerande workshopträffar. Genom att delta får du en unik möjlighet att utveckla dina kunskaper och förmågor inom talangattraktion, samtidigt som du blir en del av ett växande nätverk av yrkesverksamma från hela Sverige som arbetar med samma utmaningar.

Vill du ha mer information om programmet, klicka på denna länk för att anmäla intresse så återkommer vi till dig med mer information.

The post Co-creating the future of talent attraction – Start i januari 2025 first appeared on Future Place Leadership.

We are excited about the latest special editions of our Talent City Index portfolio. Latest, we have measured the attractiveness of Swedish lifestyle regions:

• What is Sweden’s most attractive lifestyle region?
• The most family-friendly?
• Sustainable?
  Creative and innovative?
• How can we get more people to move to the countryside?

The survey clearly shows that Swedes dream of a life outside the big cities. At the same time, people are not lining up to move to the countryside. This means that we have to ask ourselves the question: why do we dream about one thing but do something else? Our conclusion, which we can partially see in the survey, is that many people have preconceived notions about what job and career opportunities are available outside the larger cities. It is therefore important for many regions to highlight the exciting and qualified jobs available in order to attract the target group to dare to move.” says Marcus Andersson, CEO, Future Place Leadership.

The new survey “Talent City Index – lifestyle regions”, produced by Future Place Leadership, shows that close to a third of Swedes want to live in the countryside in the future. That is 2.5 times more than the 12% who state that they live in the countryside today.

Also 27% state that they want to live near the sea, which is more than four times more than the 6% who state that they live that way today. Likewise, there is a desire to live near a lake according to 15% of respondents, which is three times more than the 5% who live that way today.

The survey also shows that almost 60% of the respondents want to live in a villa. Second most popular was living on a farm – where every fourth person asked would most of all like to live on a farm.

In the ranking of lifestyle regions, we have also included larger and attractive cities in Sweden as comparison points. One conclusion we can draw from the results is that what we call lifestyle regions in this report are generally considered to be more attractive places than the cities.

Download report

You can get access to the report here (In Swedish).

Get in touch

For now the report is about Sweden and in Swedish only, but contact us if we should do a similar initiative in your region

About the survey

The survey is based on the Talent City Index methodology and is a special edition with a focus on where those people who has skills within major labor market shortages and aged 20–55 want to live. The regular edition Talent City Index Sweden 2024 (TCI 2024) was launched in August 2024, for the second year in a row, and measures the attractiveness of 75 Swedish municipalities. Read more about TCI Sweden 2024 here: https://www.talentcityindex.com

The survey on lifestyle regions is carried out by Future Place Leadership in collaboration with six Swedish regions as well as self-governing, Swedish-speaking Åland (Finland). The seven regions are High Coast, Gotland, Skaraborg, Värmland, Hälsingland, Jämtland Härjedalen and Åland, where Jämtland Härjedalen is measured as two separate lifestyle regions in the survey. The ranking also includes a number of municipalities, which serve as points of comparison to be able to assess the relative strength of the attractiveness of the lifestyle regions. A total of 38 locations are compared and ranked in the survey.

The post Special Talent City Index Edition: The Attractiveness of Lifestyle Regions in Sweden first appeared on Future Place Leadership.

On June27 – for the second year in a row- we launched the results from the Talent City Index Sweden, which ranks the most attractive cities to work and live in for students and professionals in key shortage areas. The launch took place in Almedalen at the Greater Örebro Arena. 

Now we know that Gothenburg actually retains its top position as Sweden’s most attractive city, ahead of the capital, even if Stockholm is closing in somewhat. Skåne takes the top spot as Sweden’s most attractive county based on the ranking of its cities.

A selection of insights:  

• Gothenburg wins the three categories as the most family-friendly place, the best quality of life and the most sustainable. Stockholm wins in the four categories the most creative and innovative place, the most vibrant, the most beautiful and the best place to start a business.
• The most important driving force in Sweden to move is continued lifestyle, where it is above all a family-friendly, close to nature and sustainable lifestyle that attracts. The job offer and career opportunities come out as the next most important driver to move, which may reflect that the recession has continued to deepen since the last survey a year ago. A safer environment as well as the importance of housing prices have climbed the list of moving factors
• When it comes to job-related drivers to move, “Work-life balance” is by far the most important factor, followed by the salary level of employers in the location and opportunities to choose between different jobs in the location. Opportunities to contribute to the local community take fifth place, out of a total of 11 factors.

The report is full of insights and data that make you as a municipality or region sharper in both your marketing and your development efforts to attract skills in the area of shortage. The data will also be able to help you as an employer with operations in several locations to take advantage of the location’s strengths when you attract labor – and you as a real estate operator to make important investment decisions.

Are you interested in receiving a more in-depth analysis? We can create a custom version for you.

We offer: 

1. The city report that clarifies your city’s position and attraction profile
2. The regional report with more detailed data for the entire county, including all cities measured in the county
3. The comparative report for those who want to be able to compare the attractiveness of several locations in Sweden.

More information about the content and price of the reports is available on the Talent City Index website.

You can also download the report here.

For those of you who order the report before July 15, we can offer a 20% discount.

For more information or to order an in-depth report, please email ma@futureplaceleadership.com.

The post Talent City Index Sweden 2024 is launched – Gothenburg beats Stockholm … (again) first appeared on Future Place Leadership.

Vi erbjuder stora möjligheter att utvecklas i konsultrollen – och få ett stort eget ansvar, i en internationell, kreativ och innovativ miljö. Hos oss får du en chans att bidra till ett bättre, mer hållbart samhälle genom att skapa bättre platser för människor och företagande.  

Vilka är vi? 

Future Place Leadership är en snabbväxande byrå som specialiserar sig på platsers utveckling, innovation och marknadsföring. Vi hjälper städer, samhällen, regioner och länder att bli mer attraktiva, inom tematiska områden som investeringsfrämjande, talangattraktion, platsutveckling och regional utveckling. 

Vi är rådgivare, leder förändringsprocesser, utbildar, tar fram data och insikter och skapar kampanjer och aktiviteter för att hjälpa våra kunder.   

Vi anordnar också innovationsprojekt, kurser och konferenser under vårt systervarumärke Place Leadership Academy. Vi anordnar den årliga konferensen PlaceXNordic. 

Vi har medarbetare eller associerade konsulter i fem olika länder och vår kärnmarknad är Europa, med allt fler projekt runtom i övriga världen.   

Vem är du? 

Du har minst 5 års erfarenhet av konsultrollen, gärna från ett större konsultföretag eller byrå, eller från att arbeta med näringslivsutveckling, gärna investerings- och etableringsfrämjande på lokal eller regional nivå. 

Du är initiativrik, kreativ, analytisk och trivs med att arbeta effektivt både självständigt och i team. Du är van vid kundkontakter och att leda projekt.  

Du trivs med ett bitvis högt tempo, att få och ta eget ansvar, en innovativ och resultatinriktad miljö och internationella kollegor. 

Du talar och skriver flytande svenska och engelska, och det är meriterande med språkkunskaper i ytterligare nordiska språk. 

Du har erfarenhet av ett eller flera av följande områden:

• Investerings- eller etableringsfrämjande från kommunal, regional eller nationell nivå  
• Kommunal eller regional näringslivsutveckling
• Regional utveckling 

Det är meriterande om du har erfarenhet av: 

• Processledning och facilitering av workshoppar i miljöer med många intressenter 
• Omvärlds- och trendanalys 
• Research och intervjuteknik
• Kvantitativ analys
• Försäljning eller marknadsföring 
• Offentlig upphandling   

Ansökningsprocessen kommer att bestå av intervjuer och caseuppgifter. 

Arbetsuppgifter

Process- och projektledning, leda workshoppar och möten, kundkontakter, införsäljning av nya uppdrag, ta fram upphandlingssvar och research och analys.   

Arbetsort och resor

Vi har fysiskt kontor i Stockholm där du förväntas vara 1–2 dagar i veckan, i övrigt finns stora möjligheter att arbeta distansoberoende. Resor till kunder framför allt i Sverige och i viss mån i Norden/Europa ingår. 

Frågor? 

Hör gärna av dig till Marcus Andersson, VD, på 0708-67 36 34 eller ma@futureplaceleadership.com 

Ansök senast 5 mars, men gärna tidigare då vi rekryterar löpande. Skicka personligt brev och CV till Marcus Andersson på ma@futureplaceleadership.com

The post Hiring: Consultant for Swedish Market – Investment Promotion first appeared on Future Place Leadership.

Läs mer och anmäl dig här!

Fokus på deltagarnas frågeställningar, bland annat:

✅ Hur marknadsför vi oss och vår plats för investerare och företag?

✅ Hur väcker vi intresse hos investerare och ser till att etablering och ”soft landing” går smidigt?

✅ Hur gör vi så att nyetablerade verksamheter kan expandera, är innovativa och blir framgångsrika på vår plats?

✅ Vilka är egentligen våra idealiska investerare?

✅ Hur passar vårt platsvarumärke in i etableringsfrämjandet?

✅ Hur formulerar vi fungerande värdeerbjudanden för vår plats?

✅ Vilka är de vanligaste fallgroparna och trenderna inom investeringsfrämjande?

Vem bör delta?

Målgruppen är näringslivschefer, näringslivsstrateger, etableringsansvariga, affärsutvecklare, kommunikatörer, platsmarknadsförare och projektledare och andra som jobbar med näringslivsutveckling eller etableringar på kommunal eller regional nivå – eller inom en innovationsmiljö/kluster.

Du kan välja mellan följande kurstillfällen:

• Helsingborg, Sweden, 29-30 januari 2025
• Stockholm, Sweden, 19-20 mars 2025

In English with an international POV:

• Oslo, Norway, 22-23 January 2025

Läs mer och anmäl dig här!

The post Ny kurs: Etablerings- och investeringsfrämjande för kommuner och regioner first appeared on Future Place Leadership.

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 Talent City Index report was created to to investigate and benchmark how cities rank against each other in the fierce competition for skilled workforce, to be used as a tool and guidance to improve a city’s attractiveness and retention power.

Download the report for free both in Finnish and Swedish, English version coming soon!

Differences between Finns and Swedes was the hot topic

At the launch event of the report in Helsinki last week, the biggest interest among the people in the room, particularly among the media, was around the differences between the Swedish and Finnish results. Comparison between countries is something that always intrigues people, and there are plans in place to benchmark trends and patterns between countries once more markets have been launched (psst! Germany, Norway, Netherlands and the UK are in the books).

For your convenience, we gathered some of the most interesting differences between the Finnish and Swedish learnings. You may do what you like with the intel.

✅ In Finland, career opportunities and job availability are the most important drivers to move, which is different to Sweden, where life-style is equally, if not more, important.

✅ In Sweden, the coastal cities ranked the highest in attractiveness and retention power, whereas in Finland inland cities were ranking high in the survey. Interestingly enough, Swedish speaking coastal cities were losing residents and were perhaps suffering from lack of awareness among target audience

✅ It is obvious that there is a strong business cluster in and around Helsinki. Helsinki and Espoo are #1 and 2 on the list for people working in business and economics, also among students where Helsinki is dominating. Also Executives prefer Helsinki and Espoo. In Sweden the results were more spread out among the biggest cities.

✅ Tampere is ranking highest in more lifestyle oriented categories though (quality of life, family friendly, safe, sustainable). Jyväskylä also performs well in the more life style oriented categories. Gothenburg ranked the highest in all categories in Sweden, outranking the capital of Stockholm altogether!

✅ A huge surprise from the Finnish results came out within the freelancer category; freelancers are usually more flexible to work remote, and in Sweden we could see many smaller coastal cities ranking high among freelancers, but in Finland, the freelancers ranked the largest cities in Finland highest, similar to the general ranking, with exception for Hyvinkää in top 10 for freelancers.

✅ Municipalities with proximity to larger cities performed really well in the Finnish ranking. That indicates that people are searching for smaller municipalities to live in, with more nature and lower housing and living costs, but still with the proximity to larger cities.

✅ In Sweden it was mainly IT & data specialists and engineers who were most prone to move, while teachers and people in the health care sector were less prone. In Finland we could almost see the opposite, with teachers and medical specialists among those who were more prone to move, and engineers less prone.

✅ The Swedish speaking parts of Finland seem to have a challenge to attract people from the whole of Finland. For example, there is the biggest energy cluster in the Nordics set up in Vaasa, but Vaasa is only ranked number 17 in general ranking, and not in top 10 among engineers. What could be improved to make Vaasa more attractive, and to retain that specific set of people needed there for growth?

Download the report for free both in Finnish and Swedish

The post ‘Finns Prioritise Career While Swedes Chase Lifestyle’ – New Report Out Now first appeared on Future Place Leadership.