“World’s Happiest Country” Seeks Migrants

Finland has been named the World’s Happiest Country four years running by the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network. But Finland has a problem: an aging population. Indeed, only Japan has a bigger aging problem.

The Nordic nation is looking to turn things around with, you guessed it, immigration.

Check out this video from the Hindustani Times covering why Finland needs migrants and why it’s having a hard time attracting them. 

As one news outlet summarized: “Despite scoring extremely high in international comparisons for quality of life, freedom and gender equality, lack of corruption, crime and pollution; Finland is also known for its high prices, cold weather, dark winters and notoriously difficult language.” Oh, and “Anti-immigrant sentiment as well as a unwillingness to employ outsiders are also widespread in one of western Europe’s most homogenous societies.” Yeah, that’s a tough sell.

Still, if those images of the Northern Lights are tempting you, check out the Finnish Immigration Service’s website: I want to apply.

-KitJ