Economic Restructuring into Tourism in the Swedish Mountain Range

Abstract

The labour force in the Swedish mountain range has been influenced by globalisation and restructuring of the economy. The problem for the region is twofold: (1) an ageing and smaller population; and (2) changes in the structure of employment. Due to decreasing employment in forestry and manufacturing, as well as downsizing of the public sector, the economy is going through rapid change. The increase of the importance of the tourism sector has been prominent in some parts of the mountainous area. This study focuses mainly on the character of the tourism labour market in the region and the implications of the development in the tourism sector. The data used are drawn from a database containing the total population in the area 1985–1999. Data are analysed using GIS. The main conclusions are that there has been a shift in employment from the primary sector and the public sector in the region. The tourism sector has been seen as an important receiver of work force but this development is found to be uneven and uncertain in some parts of the region. Although the permanent population is decreasing, increasing seasonal labour migration due to tourism businesses has been observed.