United Nations Public Service Awards Case Studies

Dalarna is a region in Sweden that is undergoing continuous development. It is Sweden’s fourth largest export region and also the fourth largest when it comes to tourism business in Sweden. The population is 276 000 inhabitants, rising by 0,1 % 2008. More persons migrate to the region then from it, but death rate is higher than the birth rate, -400 persons. Still, the population needs to grow.
Large retirement numbers are expected in the next 2-10 years. The region of Dalarna is first in the major generation shift in Sweden, where the large number of persons born in the 1940’s will go into retirement. Estimations show that there can be a shortage of 10 000 people for different jobs on the labour market. This shortage will affect all areas of trade and industry and all levels of work.
The strongest fields of industry in Dalarna are manufacturing, healthcare, trade, communication and media, education and research. In order to cope with needed supply of labour force and to maintain a desired level of public service as many as 1 000 immigrants to Dalarna is needed each year. The project Flytta till Dalarna (Move to Dalarna) should be viewed in this light.
The migration work started off as a part of the work with the trade mark Dalarna. The region Dalarna is by tradition well known in Sweden and also other parts of the world for historic and touristic reasons. Thus the trade mark Dalarna was from the start strong with positive connotations – but very much characterized by tradition and tourism. The trade mark work has focused on modernizing the image of Dalarna. The project Flytta till Dalarna has in its communication emphasized the unique combination of entrepreneurship, industrial strength and good living environments that the region of Dalarna offers.
Prior to Flytta till Dalarna effort to increase population was undertaken by some individual municipalities in Dalarna. These efforts gave a divided picture of the region and resources were not used effectively. The larger municipalities had possibilities to market themselves, but the smaller most often did not possess resources needed. The smaller municipalities also were in greatest need of new migrants. Negative population figures gave some municipalities a negative identity and started a negative spiral. By making the municipalities cooperate under the umbrella of Dalarna the project has seen to that each municipality accessed resources and competence to market itself within the framework. Great effort is undertaken to find the unique in each one of the municipalities. There is a place in Dalarna for everyone. The multitude and differences between the municipalities has become an asset.
The work affects all social groups, but is of greater use for those lacking education and financial, or cultural, resources. They often lack the personal network that is so important when moving and the project work is therefore of greater impact for them.

What is the initiative about? (the solution)
The efforts of Flytta till Dalarna to increase inward migration to Dalarna have given results. The Move Register today keeps a bit more than 1 000 households interested in moving to Dalarna. Every month 20 new potential inward migrating families are added to the Register. 358 households have already moved to Dalarna as a result of the project since the work started in 2005. 25 of these 358 families have come from The Netherlands since March 2008. Apart from the tangible figures, the project has resulted in that the importance of inward migration has been raised on the regional agenda. This has led to broad political support and an engagement among the general public. This has given Dalarna many good ambassadors among the citizens. The cooperation between stakeholders in the region created by Flytta till Dalarna has resulted in a more efficient work focused on the needs of the inward migrant. This cooperation and networking has influenced other areas of interest and thus benefited the region in many ways. Through the project many businesses and organizations have been able to recruit competence previously hard to find. Municipalities in Dalarna previously without resources for inward migration marketing have been given qualified competence and material. The project keeps a record of how many of the households that have moved to Dalarna. This is updated by information given by the migrants and by the yearly update of the addresses that is bought from a database information company. There is of course no way of knowing whether or not these migrants should have moved to Dalarna even without the help of the project. But feedback from the migrants shows that a lot of them would not have moved, not right now anyway. Their move might have come about but at a later time. In terms of reception of the inward migrants this project is highly successful. The project often gets confirmation from people who have chosen to move to Dalarna that the work undertaken was important and decisive. In economic terms the cost of the project so far is roughly 750 000 €. The number of families already migrated to Dalarna is 358. This would mean a onetime cost per migrated family of approximately 2000 €. The potential average tax income per family to the local and regional authorities is 12 000 € per annum. So even in economic terms this project is highly successful.

Who proposed the solution, who implemented it and who were the stakeholders?
It all started in 2003 when the county governor, the head of the employment service in Dalarna, the rector of the University College Dalarna and the managing director of the county council gathered in their worry about the declining population in Dalarna. At this time Region Dalarna, the regional development council was founded. Within the responsibility of Region Dalarna a project called Bilden av Dalarna (The Image of Dalarna) started. The aim of the project was to find out how people outside of Dalarna viewed the region and what could be done to make more migrants, tourists and companies choose Dalarna. Staff was employed and contacts were made with a local communications and PR firm called Bangalore. A working group consisting of the two project staff members and seven politicians (one from every one of the seven parties represented in the region) was put together. The project then commissioned a survey done by TEMO, a market research agency, to find out how the Swedish people viewed Dalarna. In the spring of 2004 four focus groups, consisting of people representing all ages, were started to further help in the process. The results from the survey and the focus groups indicated that Dalarna was seen as a very traditional and old fashioned region. Together with the communications firm the work continued in expanding the image of Dalarna to also showing the modern Dalarna and the possibility to live, work and prosper there. When a proposal for a communication plan was finished, it was tested and discussed with a large group of companies and employers in Dalarna. It then was presented to the board of directors at Region Dalarna, consisting of politicians from every municipality in Dalarna including the county council. The communication plan was formally decided on in the autumn of 2004. In 2005 the work aiming specifically at enhancing the migration to Dalarna was started with a call center evening when the politicians of Dalarna called people up who had shown an interest in moving to Dalarna. This was the start of the Move to Dalarna Register. The work continued as a part of Bilden av Dalarna until November 2007 when it became a project in its own right. Since then the work has developed. The project now works closely together with the municipalities of Dalarna (both on a political and civil servant level), the County Council, the County Administrative Board, the University College Dalarna, Invest in Dalarna Agency, the employment service, the business community, employers, regional media etc.

Describe how and when the initiative was implemented by answering these questions
a. What were the strategies used to implement the initiative? In no more than 500 words, provide a summary of the main objectives and strategies of the initiative, how they were established and by whom.
The overall objective of Flytta till Dalarna (Move to Dalarna) is that the population of Dalarna will increase with 24 000 inhabitants so that the total number of citizens will reach 300 000. All work is based on the core value and communicative keys given in the communicative platform for Dalarna. The core values are “Urge, Will, Creative force". The communicative keys are: • “Something absolutely fantastic will happen” – to tickle the recipient’s fantasy, urge and creative force • “There is more than meet the eyes” – in order to look at Dalarna from a different perspective than the ones already taken and to explore the ones not expected • “Personal” – to touch and to arouse feelings The overall objective will be met by a number of partial objectives: • Development of new and innovative methods to work with inward migration. Methods and ways to work will be disseminated within and outside the region. • Creation of new forms of cooperation and networks for working with inward migration. Cooperation will be undertaken with public, private and NGO bodies. Collective work will facilitate the reach of common aims, with economic use of resources. • The use of public relations, marketing and personal contacts within the Dalarna region in order to raise awareness of the migration’s importance for the continuous well being of the public. This will create engagement which will result in increased inward migration and decreased outward migration. • The use of public relations, marketing and personal contacts externally to potential immigrants outside the region today. This will show an updated picture of the region of Dalarna and it will be personal. • The support of different initiatives taken to increase self esteem and a positive identity in the region. This will attract new immigrants. The overall objective and the strategies concerning core values and communicative keys were first proposed in the project group and then established by the board of directors at Region Dalarna, the regional development council. The partial objectives have developed over time and gradually introduced to and decided upon by the board of directors.

b. What were the key development and implementation steps and the chronology? No more than 500 words
Three large events have been arranged, in 2005, 2007 and 2009. In all three around 150 of the region’s politicians and decision makers from the public, private and NGO sectors gathered to take part. The first time they personally called some 2 000 people with an interest in moving to Dalarna. The Move Register was created this night. The second time they chatted with people from all over the world interested in moving to Dalarna. A special web page was set up for this event presenting vacant job positions, apartments and houses in Dalarna in order to match between potential migrants and the possibilities in Dalarna. The third time they called young people in Dalarna to talk to them about their future in Dalarna and to try to find out what could make them stay in Dalarna. They also called young people who had already moved from Dalarna in order to make them return. These events have worked in a collective way internally in Dalarna. Politicians and decision makers have been able to gather around an issue. Debate was created in regional media and stressed the issue of the importance of inward migration among the citizens of the region. The website www.dalarna.se is the point of entry for those searching for information about moving to Dalarna. Here one will find information about moving to Dalarna. The site also contains entry points for those wishing a contact and a possibility to sign up to the Register for potential migrants. All newly registered potentials will be called by telephone by the staff, in order to give them a personal contact that can answer questions and offer help concerning the migration. This personal contact is the unique factor in the work. This is highly appreciated and in some cases the decisive factor for a move. Once in the Register the potentials will get continuous information by phone or e-mail about jobs, houses or companies for sale. Employers can through the Register find competence needed. In certain cases this has led to recruitment of persons with special and hard to find competence. The project addresses the whole world, but main focus is Sweden and The Netherlands. The Dutch is a large migrant group and what Dalarna offers very good matches their needs. To support this group a Dutch migration guide is engaged. She has personal experience of moving from The Netherlands to Dalarna. Flytta till Dalarna has twice, 2008 and 2009, taken part in the Emigration Fair in Utrecht, The Netherlands. The project coordinated the participating group consisting of representatives from the municipalities, the County Council, job agencies, Invest in Dalarna Agency, employers and brokers for houses and companies. By taking part contact has been made with many Dutch families, of whom many already have moved to Dalarna. An important part of the work is undertaken through a network for inward migration service. It consists of representatives from the partners of the project. This is a forum for learning and inspiration. Through this everyone in the network is given contacts and cooperation partners and work with individual migrants is made easier.

c. What were the main obstacles encountered? How were they overcome? No more than 500 words
Initially there were several issues to tackle. One was that several people, within the partnership and amongst the general public, did not feel that Dalarna needed any more inhabitants, since many of those already living there could not find work. In various ways, the project staff has explained the real problem of labour shortage in the near future and with facts and figures has been able to influence the way people viewed the situation. Another problem was that some municipalities in Dalarna looked on others as competitors and were unwilling to take part in the same marketing process. They have, through examples from other places, been shown the advantages of cooperation, such as the larger impact achieved by combined efforts, and after a trial period almost all municipalities in Dalarna now see cooperation as the key to success. Yet another problem was that many partners were used to marketing campaigns and asked for newspaper ads, fairs and jingles. The idea of the project was however to develop a new method, a personal guidance and reception program that helped potential migrants actually to decide to move. At the time, this was a new way of thinking, but it is now well rooted within the partnership.

d. What resources were used for the initiative and what were its key benefits? In no more than 500 words, specify what were the financial, technical and human resources’ costs associated with this initiative. Describe how resources were mobilized
The financing of the project Flytta till Dalarna is divided equally between EU and regional funding. From EU Objective: Competitiveness and Employment comes 375 000 €, Region Dalarna contributes with the same amount 375 000 € . Total cost of the commitment so far since 2005 is roughly 750 000€. The project main staff is kept low in order to provide best possible service “on the field”, i. e. resources to be spent on fairs, printed material, web site, study tours for journalists, events, etc. Thus, funding is spent on staff in this manner: • Project manager, 100 % of full time employment. • Dutch pilot, 50 % of full time employment. • Register responsible, 50 % of full time employment. Together this make up for 24 % of total project budget. This means that 76 % of the total project budget can be spent on the field services mentioned above. In addition to this, several of the partners in the network contribute with mostly man power on special occasions – this due to both the expected future results of the project and the actual achieved good results of the project so far. The key to success is the close cooperation in the network, which is innovative in itself. A project staffed with only two full time posts cannot achieve this multitude of work performed. The secret is the effective use of resources.

Is the initiative sustainable and transferable?
As long as the initial problem of a forthcoming labour shortage is at hand the work will continue. Financial sustainability is arranged through new financing of continued project work until June 30 2012 by the EU and Region Dalarna. A stable political support from all political parties in Dalarna guarantees the work. As for regulations the project is focusing on migrants from the EU member states, since there is free movement within the EU. If this changes in the future, the work might be turned towards other countries outside of the EU. Dissemination of information concerning the project work is a regular element, both on a regional, national and international level, through on site visits by other regions and cities, participation in fairs and extensive media work for example. Since there are many regions in the world that struggle with the same problems of decreasing population that faced Dalarna, it is suggested that the methods of Flytta till Dalarna are transferrable elsewhere. For the best effect, one should raise issues of inward migration to a regional level and find the right partners within the region to cooperate with. Last but not least one should remember that decisions about migrating always are made by human individuals, needing personal contacts with real people to facilitate their move. Since quite a few regions and cities have shown an interest in the work and methods of Flytta till Dalarna, there will surely be replications elsewhere in the near future.

What are the impact of your initiative and the lessons learned?
The key elements that brought success to the project are the fact that the issues were raised to a regional level resulting in cooperation between partners, that the work is done in two steps and the personal touch. For the best effect, issues of inward migration should be lifted to a regional level. The cooperation between stakeholders in the region created by Flytta till Dalarna has resulted in a more efficient work focused on the needs of the inward migrant. For the migrants it has been good since many of them do not know at the start which city or municipality they want to move to. They only know that they are interested in moving to Dalarna. It is also a good way to increase learning ad inspiration and to develop new methods. What also makes the work in Flytta till Dalarna different from other initiatives to increase inward migration in other regions is that the work is done in two steps. First one has to ensure that Dalarna is seen as a good place to live in. That is done by marketing, which is something that many regions and cities do. But then, secondly, Flytta till Dalarna offers concrete help to those with plans to move in actually realizing their dreams. Decisions about migrating are always made by human individuals, needing personal contacts with real people to facilitate their move. That is why the personal contact by phone, e-mail or visit has been decisive for a lot of the migrants. Whatever city or municipality they are interested in moving to, they can start with contacting the project staff. When their questions and plans are more concrete and clear, they will be offered more contact persons at the municipalities or employers through the project. The project often gets confirmation from people who have chosen to move to Dalarna that the work undertaken was important and decisive. This is from an actual e-mail: ”Dear unknown people …I woke up on December 19th 2007 and knew I had to go back to Dalarna. I googled the Net, found your web page and stated my interest and that I wanted to be contacted by you. After that came the most magic gift I’ve ever received – the black book, promising that something fantastic would happen to me. This inspired me to turn my life into a new direction. Some days later, having just finished a rather awkward conference, I sat in Stockholm and suddenly I had an angel on the phone. This angel works with you. We talked about who I am, my competence and my dreams. This conversation led to that I in a couple of months bought two houses in Dalarna. My husband and I have now moved here. In less than one year pour lives have changed completely and I am so very grateful.”


Institution Name:		Region Dalarna
Institution Type:		Public Organization
Contact Person:		Helene Persson Grafman
Title:		Project manager
Telephone/ Fax:		+46 23 77 70 06
Institution's / Project's Website:		+46 23 77 70 01
E-mail:		helene.persson.grafman@regiondalarna.se
Address:		Myntgatan 2
Postal Code:		791 51
City:		Falun
State/Province:		Dalarna
Country:		Sweden

The Problem

Solution and Key Benefits

Actors and Stakeholders

(a) Strategies

(b) Implementation

(c) Overcoming Obstacles

(d) Use of Resources

Sustainability and Transferability

Lessons Learned

Contact Information