Sweden Dems in Oslo hunt for migrant vote

"It does sound like a bit of a contradiction," Jörgen Hermansson, political scientist at Uppsala University, told The Local. "You would expect that he would want them to go home. It definitely sounds interesting."

The Sweden Democrats party describes itself as "the party for real jobs", and one of the top job goals listed on the party's website is to "stop labour migration to low-end jobs".

Oslo is home to some 50,000 Swedes, many of whom left their home country to take advantage of free immigration laws to work in catering and menial jobs. Nevertheless, Jimmie Åkesson defended the stop as a natural part of election campaigning.

"Many Swedes live in Norway and we think it's a good idea to visit Oslo on our election tour," Åkesson said in a statement before his stop. "It will be exciting and interesting."

Martin Kinnunen, press secretary for the Sweden Democrats, said that the move was mostly aimed at increasing numbers of voters among the Swedes living in Norway. Indeed, only one of five Swedes living abroad votes in elections.

And given that one in five young people living in Oslo is Swedish, it's not remarkable that Åkesson is out after the votes.

"It's more of a rule than an exception that youth in this region look for their first job in Norway," Elisabeth Andersson at the Karlstad jobs agency said in a statement. "It's nearby, the availability of work is much better, and the pay is much higher."

Nurses can earn twice the salary in Norway as they do in Sweden. But highly-ranked jobs aren't the only ones shifting to Norway. The vast majority of Swedes working in Oslo work in hotels, shops, and restaurants – precisely the type of labour immigration the Sweden Democrats have said they want to prevent.