Sustainable Remote Nordic Labour Markets (SUNREM)

Remote local labour markets in the Nordic countries are challenged by global megatrends such as the demographic transition, technological development, climate change, and globalisation. The pace of change has accelerated in recent years, and present both opportunities and challenges for local labour markets in remote areas that are by nature smaller and less diverse than large labour markets.

The SUNREM research project aims at exploring how local labour markets in the Nordic Region face the opportunities and challenges related to the global megatrends in general, and the green transition in particular.

Case studies will be conducted in remote local labour markets in Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Åland. 

Both quantitative and qualitative data will be used in this Nordic research project. By collecting national statistical data and micro data, the research will be able to increase knowledge about in what way remote local labour markets are impacted by the megatrends and how this impact on labour market participation. By using interviews and co-creative methods and backcasting in the case study municipalities and regions, the researchers will also collect qualitative data.

The project will result in increased knowledge that will be transmitted through research outputs in the form of research reports, scientific articles and stakeholder engagement, but also in policy recommendations how sustainable labour market participation in remote local labour market areas can be achieved.