Sweden and Denmark: Leaders in innovation and in attracting global talent

Abstract

This article analyzes the recent importance of highly qualified migration flows to developed countries as a result of a new migratory pattern that emerged after the 2008 crisis. The paper presents a case study on Sweden and Denmark, since these economies stand out on a global scale due to their development of technological innovations that have allowed them to achieve sustained growth rates in the long term. Given that both economies face structural difficulties, such as population aging and insufficient number of young graduates from national universities with the necessary profiles for the development of new technologies, their labor supply is restricted. Due to this, qualified migration and international students have become a central element to get the impetus needed for these policies; these countries have carried out a series of programs to recruit and retain international talent, a situation that is getting generalized in other destination countries too, which can trigger a global competition for talents.