Also, a growing number of people are not liking the thought of Finland changing for good, will resist it.
Long after this batch of temporary politicians and bureaucrats are dead and gone, future generations will be forced to grapple with the societal mess that they’ve left them.
Forecast: Nearly one-third of Vantaa residents will speak a foreign language in 2030
Close to a quarter of capital region residents will speak a foreign language in 2030. That’s according to a recent report published by Helsinki’s Urban Facts unit. The foreign-background population will grow fastest in Vantaa, where roughly one in three residents will speak a language other than Finnish or Swedish.
Helsinki City’s Urban Facts department has predicted that while the growth of foreign-language groups in Helsinki and Espoo will be more moderate, the situation in Vantaa will be very different.
Compared to Helsinki and Espoo, where one in four residents will have a foreign background, in Vantaa one in three residents will speak a foreign language.
Migration researcher Timo Aro said that he’s not surprised by the city’s forecasts. He pointed out that in general, migrants have always been drawn to the capital.
“The number of foreign language speakers has increased by a factor of 12 in the capital area during the past 25 years,” he noted.
According to the researcher in practice the city’s forecast means that in 2030 people in the capital region will be interacting more with residents of migrant backgrounds.
“The role of immigrants and foreign language speakers will show in everything that happens in the metropolitan area. There won’t be any situation in which foreign languages don’t form part of a service or activity,” Aro remarked.
Affordable accommodation a major attraction
Aro couldn’t put a finger on the reason for the projected faster growth of foreign background residents in Vantaa. He said that the forecast can in part be explained by Vantaa’s housing policies, which differ from the rest of the capital area.
“One factor must be that if there’s anywhere that new housing is being generated, then it’s Vantaa. The cost of housing is cheaper than in Helsinki, for example.”
“On top of that housing production in Vantaa is situated near to good transportation connections and close enough to the heart of the capital, and that’s why the city is also highlighted in this way,” Aro concluded.
