Youth and work in the north

How do the younger generations view their own future in the north? The new book Rural futures? deals with young people finding their place in a changing labour market.

The book Rural futures? is the result of the international research project Youth in Barents – work and welfare, which was headed by Norut in the period 2005-2009. The book is edited by Associate Professors Unn-Doris Karlsen Bæck and Gry Paulgaard at the University of Tromsø. Both are former researchers at Norut.

The book documents young people’s actions and choices in relation to the labour market, education and place of residence in the High North.

The empirical studies on which the book is based were carried out in the northern parts of Russia, Finland, Sweden and Norway.

Rural futures? shows that even though local labour markets are affected by overall economic fluctuations, global changes affect regions differently, leading to uneven regional development and thus uneven opportunities for young people.

Senior Research Scientist Paul Pedersen from Norut Tromsø presents Rural futures? during the launch. Photo: Eirik Mikkelsen, Norut.

The book was launched at the University of Tromsø on February 15, with presentations by the Project Manager of Youth in Barents – work and welfare Unn-Doris Karlsen-Bæck, Senior Research Scientist at Norut Paul Pedersen and Associate Professor at the Tromsø University Business School at UiT Mikko Moilanen. Moreover, Moilanen took his PhD in connection with the project while he was employed at Norut.

The project was financed by the Research Council of Norway’s Welfare programme.

Click here to purchase Rural futures? Finding ones place within changing labour markets.