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‘Swedes, stop being shocked foreign graduates move here!’

Swedes should be proud so many foreign graduates are choosing to relocate here, rather than being shocked by our decision to brave the cold, argues The Local's Editor Maddy Savage.

Published: 19 January 2016 09:55 CET
Updated: 19 January 2016 17:45 CET
'Swedes, stop being shocked foreign graduates move here!'
Many foreigners are charmed by Sweden's climate. Photo: Fredrik Broman/Image Bank Sweden
What would you say to a Swedish friend who always dreamed of living in the UK or America and finally packed their bags to take a job abroad? 
 
Chances are you'd be impressed and excited for them. So why do so many Swedes think it's strange when foreign graduates or other trained professionals move to the Nordics under the same circumstances?
 
After living in Stockholm for more than a year, I've lost count of the number of times I've registered shock or surprise on Swedes' faces when I explain that I moved here from Britain without a partner to work for a news startup. The others, the ones that smile politely and say “how interesting!”, usually end up quizzing me drunkenly months later at parties: “So you do actually really like it here then?!”.
 
And my experience is by no means unique. 
 
“At work I constantly get asked 'why the hell did you choose Sweden?'” laughs German-born Julian Piek, 27, who works in IT.
 
Meanwhile former Londoner Emma Green, 35, who relocated after her British husband scored a job in the gaming sector says, “it seems improbable to most Swedes that anyone would move here unless they really had to”.
 
“I think I've been asked so many times if I'm married to a Swede that I've begun to question whether I actually am!,” laughs the mother-of-one, who is planning to return to work later this year, while her husband takes his generous share of parental leave.
 
 

Sweden is a popular destination for expat families. Photo: Carolina Romare/Image Bank Sweden
 
Ten years ago, most of the foreigners arriving in Sweden who weren't fleeing violence, came either for stable jobs or secondments with major global corporations, or to live with a Swedish partner. But these days, growing numbers of us are actively choosing Sweden over other global cities because of its thriving startup, science and creative industries.
 
Others simply decide it's a cool place to be (no pun intended), perhaps spurred on by a love of Nordic Noir, Scandinavian electropop or a passion for minimalist interiors and fashion. As I've written before, Sweden's approach to gender equality and its relativelly short working hours compared to other successful economies can also be core reasons to stick around.
 
“It's a liberal and free- thinking society. Stockholm is a gorgeous city, has a unique tech hub, and the social infrastructure in Sweden offers the best foundation to feel safe in whatever my future plans will be, ” summarises Piek, who's been living in the Swedish capital for more than three years.
 
 
After plenty of probing, it seems that most Swedes are well aware of these advantages. Those who've travelled or lived abroad will usually admit that they were lured back by the work-life balance, better air quality or sense of calm that typifies this small yet innovative country.
 
So why is it still such a struggle to grasp why educated foreigners might choose to build their lives here too? Most often it seems to come down to one word: climate.
 
“'Sweden is so cold and dark – I just don't understand' — every Swede says that,” laments Green, who says she'd rather have Sweden's snow than Britain's notoriously wet weather any day of the week.
 
“When people ask me why I moved to Sweden, I actually joke “because of the weather,” says Mexican Diego Planas Rego, 30, who explains he is constantly probed about why he's spent six winters in Sweden instead of his sunny homeland.
 
“But Sweden – or at least Stockholm – isn't so terrible,” says the marketeer, who has worked for startups including Spotify and Squore.
 
“It has less cold winters than many cities in the US or continental Europe. It has less rain than most of the UK, the Netherlands or northern Germany. And the summers are not excruciatingly hot like in lower tropical latitudes.”
 

Mexican Diego Planas Rego enjoying the snow on a visit to Kiruna in northern Sweden. Photo: Private
 
Rego's argument is one that many foreigners would agree with. Plus, there are very few places in the world where you can enjoy the magic of a lakeside picnic in broad daylight at 10pm during summer and ice skate across the same water six months later.
 
According to Statistics Sweden, plenty more people look set to share these unique experiences in the coming year, with the country's population expected to top 10 million for the first time in 2016. While this is partly due to the recent surge in asylum applications, almost 40,000 people are predicted to move to Sweden from elsewhere the EU or from other highly developed economies over the next 12 months.
 
How are you going to greet these new arrivals then, dear Swedes? With more shock and disbelief? Or is it time to brush away your Swedish modesty and be proud of the fact that so many people want to embrace your lifestyle and contribute to your economy, even if that involves getting chilly in the process?
 
Life a foreigner in Sweden isn't always easy. Believe me, grappling with the housing crisis, learning a new language and attempting to navigate the dating scene are all far more challenging than dealing with the sub-freezing temperatures. 
 
So, next time you meet a newcomer, don't instantly question their decision. Instead, how about warming them up with a smile and asking what exactly they like best about their treasured adopted nation.
 
 

FOOD AND DRINK

OPINION: Are tips in Sweden becoming the norm?

Should you tip in Sweden? Habits are changing fast thanks to new technology and a hard-pressed restaurant trade, writes James Savage.

Published: 5 April 2024 13:59 CEST
OPINION: Are tips in Sweden becoming the norm?

The Local’s guide to tipping in Sweden is clear: tip for good service if you want to, but don’t feel the pressure: where servers in the US, for instance, rely on tips to live, waiters in Sweden have collectively bargained salaries with long vacations and generous benefits. 

But there are signs that this is changing, and the change is being accelerated by card machines. Now, many machines offer three preset gratuity percentages, usually starting with five percent and going up to fifteen or twenty. Previously they just asked the customer to fill in the total amount they wanted to pay.

This subtle change to a user interface sends a not-so-subtle message to customers: that tipping is expected and that most people are probably doing it. The button for not tipping is either a large-lettered ‘No Tip’ or a more subtle ‘Fortsätt’ or ‘Continue’ (it turns out you can continue without selecting a tip amount, but it’s not immediately clear to the user). 

I’ll confess, when I was first presented with this I was mildly irked: I usually tip if I’ve had table service, but waiting staff are treated as professionals and paid properly, guaranteed by deals with unions; menu prices are correspondingly high. The tip was a genuine token of appreciation.

But when I tweeted something to this effect (a tweet that went strangely viral), the responses I got made me think. Many people pointed out that the restaurant trade in Sweden is under enormous pressure, with rising costs, the after-effects of Covid and difficulties recruiting. And as Sweden has become more cosmopolitain, adding ten percent to the bill comes naturally to many.

Boulebar, a restaurant and bar chain with branches around Sweden and Denmark, had a longstanding policy of not accepting tips at all, reasoning that they were outdated and put diners in an uncomfortable position. But in 2021 CEO Henrik Kruse decided to change tack:

“It was a purely financial decision. We were under pressure due to Covid, and we had to keep wages down, so bringing back tips was the solution,” he said, adding that he has a collective agreement and staff also get a union bargained salary, before tips.

Yet for Kruse the new machines, with their pre-set tipping percentages, take things too far:

“We don’t use it, because it makes it even clearer that you’re asking for money. The guest should feel free not to tip. It’s more important for us that the guest feels free to tell people they’re satisfied.”

But for those restaurants that have adopted the new interfaces, the effect has been dramatic. Card processing company Kassacentralen, which was one of the first to launch this feature in Sweden, told Svenska Dagbladet this week that the feature had led to tips for the average establishment doubling, with some places seeing them rise six-fold.

Even unions are relaxed about tipping these days, perhaps understanding that they’re a significant extra income for their members. Union representatives have often in the past spoken out against tipping, arguing that the practice is demeaning to staff and that tips were spread unevenly, with staff in cafés or fast food joints getting nothing at all. But when I called the Swedish Hotel and Restaurant Union (HRF), a spokesman said that the union had no view on the practice, and it was a matter for staff, business owners and customers to decide.

So is tipping now expected in Sweden? The old advice probably still stands; waiters are still not as reliant on tips as staff in many other countries, so a lavish tip is not necessary. But as Swedes start to tip more generously, you might stick out if you leave nothing at all.

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