Building Places Where People Want to Stay 🌍🏔️

One of the most important conversations shaping Northern Sweden's future took place on the 26th of May at Mötesplats Lycksele, where representatives from Move Up North, municipalities, cultural organizations, and business leaders gathered around a critical question:

How do we attract people to Northern Sweden - and, equally importantly, how do we make them want to stay?

Through our collaboration with Region Västerbotten in the Interreg NPA project InnoGS, we are working to strengthen attractiveness, innovation, and long-term growth across Northern Sweden and other Northern Periphery and Arctic regions 🚀❄️

A key theme emerging from the panel discussion was that attractiveness extends far beyond marketing campaigns or employer branding. Sustainable growth depends on creating an ecosystem where people can build meaningful lives. Employment opportunities, housing, culture, public services, social connections, and overall quality of life all play a vital role in whether individuals and families choose to remain in a region 🏡🤝🌲

During the discussion, our CEO Johan Linder shared a perspective that generated significant interest. Contrary to common assumptions, recruiting international talent to Northern Sweden is not necessarily the challenge many believe it to be.

Recently, Creative Crowd welcomed highly skilled professionals from both Cyprus and Norway 🌎. Their reasons for relocating highlight changing priorities among global talent. One sought relief from increasingly extreme temperatures ☀️🔥, while another was drawn to the safety, stability, and quality of life that Northern Sweden offers compared to growing concerns about crime and insecurity in larger metropolitan areas.

These stories reflect a broader shift. For many people today, factors such as safety, access to nature, balance, and well-being are becoming just as important as traditional urban advantages 🌿💚

As Northern Sweden continues to grow and evolve, understanding these changing priorities will be essential. The regions that succeed in the future will not only create jobs - they will create places where people genuinely want to live, contribute, and build their futures ✨

Thank you to everyone who participated in the panel and contributed to an engaging and important discussion about the future of Northern Sweden 🙌