(Scooped by the Baron)
An influx of foreigners to the Åland Islands has ousted Finnish as the second main language of the islands after Swedish, reports the daily Helsingin Sanomat. Today Åland attracts immigrants from Romania, Estonia and Latvia, causing the islands’ population to grow faster than those of Finland and Sweden. Many foreigners come to the islands in search of work, taking advantage of the area’s low unemployment rate of just three percent—compared to over nine percent nationwide. The islands’ newfound multiculturalism is evident in daycare centres and schools as immigrants are often working age adults with children.