Umeå University Department of Geography Master thesis Spring 2020 Author: Markus Hägglund Supervisor: Roger Marjavaara Are second-home owners a hidden recruitment resource for rural and peripheral areas? Abstract Skilled and educated workers are somewhat of a rarity for many rural and peripheral communities. The global migration trend where younger residents of these communities tend to leave for more populated areas leaves the communities with an older population that struggles to find new employees to replace those who retire. However, this does not mean that rural and peripheral communities are unattractive areas. Second-home owners verifies how these areas are attractive for certain individuals for various periods. More importantly, previous research show how second-home owners are often highly educated within their fields, they invest time in their host community, and they can potentially become permanent members of the society. Thus, this study aims to explore second-home owners potential of acting as a recruitment resource for the local labour market of the host community. This is done by using Vilhelmina municipality in Västerbotten county, Sweden, as an example. By using quantitative methods, the findings of this study suggest that the occupational background of second-home owners causes them to be a potential recruitment resource for the local labour market. However, the findings for the study suggest that the willingness to contribute to the local labour market is a mixed bag. Nevertheless, this study contributes to the current understandings of labour recruitment in rural and peripheral areas by confirming the possibility for extension of second-home owners as a resource. Keywords: Second-home owners and labour recruitment, second homes, business knowledge development, planning and development, migration, temporary and permanent mobility, rural and peripheral areas i Acknowledgements Writing a master thesis can be a nerve-racking and challenging experience. However, this study has been nothing but a joyful and educative journey that reinforced my interest in research. Before going into this study, I would like to thank everyone that made writing it possible. First, I would like to thank everyone that provided for the empirical section of this study. Without their help, this study would never have been possible. I also want to thank my supervisor, associate professor Roger Marjavaara, for his insightful and constructive guidance throughout this study. Writing this study has been a long process. Therefore, I thank Roger for providing regular meetings throughout the study period that helped me with my writing. Finally, I want to thank Vilhelminas municipal department for their support throughout this study. They have provided both insightful and necessary information that made this study possible. ii Table of content 1. Introduction ..................................................................................................... 1 2. Theoretical Background ................................................................................. 3 2.1 Understanding Tourism & Migration ......................................................... 3 2.2 Second Homes – The In-between of Tourism & Migration ...................... 5 2.3 The Second-Home Owners Impact on the Local Society .......................... 6 2.4 Second Homes and Labour Recruitment .................................................. 10 3. Methodology ................................................................................................... 13 3.1 Selecting the Study Area ............................................................................. 13 3.2 Data ............................................................................................................... 15 3.3 Analysing the Data ...................................................................................... 18 3.4 Target Group ............................................................................................... 19 3.5 Ethical Considerations ................................................................................ 19 3.6 Limitations and Challenges of the Study .................................................. 19 4. Setting the Scene ............................................................................................ 21 5. Results ............................................................................................................. 23 5.1 The Characteristics of Locals and Second-Home Owners in Vilhelmina ............................................................................................................................. 24 5.2 The Needs on the Local Labour Market ................................................... 27 5.3 The Willingness of Vilhelminas Second-Home Owners .......................... 30 6. Discussion ....................................................................................................... 33 7. Conclusion ...................................................................................................... 39 References .......................................................................................................... 42 Appendix – Internet Survey ............................................................................. 46 iii 1. Introduction A decreasing, and aging population is an ongoing challenge in rural and peripheral areas (Halfacree, 2001; 2011; Halfacree & Boyle, 1993; Henderson & Akers, 2009; Rye, 2015). The outmigration of young adults in sparsely populated societies is a global migration trend partly caused by the scarcity of jobs and services, and limited educational opportunities in the area (Eliasson et al, 2015; Halfacree, 2001; 2011; Halfacree & Boyle, 1993). In Sweden, the population development since the 1930s has resulted in a clustering in larger urban areas where job opportunities, services and educational opportunities are plenty (Henderson & Akers, 2009; Marjavaara, 2008; Halfacree, 2001; 2011). This outmigration trend is a global phenomenon where vacant facilities and houses continuously become more common (Halfacree, 2001; 2011; Halfacree & Boyle, 1993; Williams & Hall, 2000; Henderson & Akers, 2009; Marjavaara, 2008; Nordbø, 2014; Rye, 2015 Quinn, 2004). The outcome of this trend often results in an elderly dominated population in rural and peripheral areas (Halfacree, 2001; 2011; Halfacree & Boyle, 1993; Henderson & Akers, 2009; Rye, 2015). For example, Statistics Sweden estimate that the population of Sweden will reach 11 million in the year 2028, and the share of people aged 80 and older is expected to increase the most (SCB, 2020). The ageing demographic bring significant consequences to rural and peripheral areas (Hendersen & Akers, 2009; Green et al, 2009). The retirement of baby boomers, combined with the departure of young adults, leaves these societies with a declining local workforce (Hendersen & Akers, 2009; Green et al, 2009). As younger generations leave for more populated areas, they often remain there for significant periods of time thus resulting in their home region losing potential workforce (SCB, 2020). Therefore, a struggle to find workers to maintain local industries occurs. Regardless of this migration trend, a community with a labour market remains. However, this remaining community struggles to find appropriate employees for existing industries (NSD, 2019). In Northern Sweden, less populated societies struggle to find people willing to work in the local labour market. Regardless of company efforts, finding suitable laborers to rural and peripheral areas is difficult (SVT, 2020). The local prosecution office in Luleå, Northern Sweden, is one example where little success has been had in finding appropriate labourers (SVT, 2020). This is supposedly caused by high competition in the business and a low desire to move to less populated areas, as where job offers in urban areas are plenty and more appealing. Another example is Lycksele, Northern Sweden, where there exists a struggle to recruit schoolteachers to the area due to a lack of co-workers (Läraren, 2019). The reason for this struggle supposedly stems from a lack of interest in the place (Läraren, 2019). According to the head of 1 education in Lycksele municipality, one reason for the low response on teachers is due to the lack of educational opportunities in the area (Läraren, 2019). Regardless of the reason, this exemplifies the challenges of recruitment in rural and peripheral areas in Sweden. However, this decreasing population does not mean that these places are not attractive amongst people. Instead, some rural and peripheral areas are appreciated by second-home owners during specific periods (Jansson & Müller, 2003; Müller et al, 2010; Marjavaara et al, 2019). As many second-home owners tend to have their primary homes in urban areas, the contrast of having a secondary home is appreciated since it let the home owners ’’escape’’ their stressful ordinary lives in the city (Marjavaara et al, 2019; Jansson & Müller, 2003). For many second-home owners, the second-home act as a way of keeping a connection to one’s upbringing as these homes are passed on through generations in the family (Jansson & Müller, 2003; Müller et al, 2010). Thus, many rural and peripheral areas are met by investing second-home owners who spend parts of the year in the area (Back & Marjavaara, 2017). It is noted how second-home owners are engaged in their host community and often show a desire to be a part of the community