Attracting Youth: Finnish Towns Employ Incentives

In an effort to combat depopulation, Finnish towns are implementing creative strategies to attract and retain young residents, particularly senior school students.

Many rural municipalities have observed a trend where students leave for larger cities to complete their high school education, as Finland allows teenagers to choose their high school regardless of their place of residence.

To address this issue, some towns, like Merikarvia, Paltamo, and Puolanka, are covering the costs of driving license courses, which typically amount to around €1,000 in Finland.

Others, such as Rautjärvi, offer free accommodation for students during their studies.

Meanwhile, towns like Pomarkku, Vesanto, and Pihtipudas provide €1,000 scholarships to graduating high school students.

While these incentives aim to encourage young people to stay in rural areas, some experts are sceptical about their effectiveness.

They argue that these perks may only attract teenagers from neighbouring municipalities without addressing the broader challenge of rural depopulation.

Despite these efforts, rural regions continue to struggle to appeal to contemporary youth, highlighting the need for more comprehensive solutions to make countryside living more attractive.