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Stanna kvar på sidan | Gå till en relaterad sida på svenskaAre you one of the thousands of people visiting Gotland during the summer? We have a branch office open all year on this island in the Baltic Sea. Here, our colleagues experience the seasonal effect – and how the recent geopolitical situation has impacted the people living here, in both good and bad ways.
At our branch office in Visby, the seasons truly shape the work environment. With summer’s arrival, the number of inhabitants on this remote island triples. In winter it goes back to normal. This way of adjusting the work to the seasons has its opportunities:
“Seasonal differences are both a plus and a minus as we can experience difficulties for locals entering the housing market boosted by national interest that keeps driving prices. And it creates a lot of first-time job opportunities but only for a limited period of the year,” says branch manager Hannes Brinkborg.
This seasonal interest spurs private and company investments, drives commerce and boosts the regional housing market. As a result, Gotland has both large housing projects and private developments continuously in progress.
The entrepreneurial spirit has always been strong on the island, something that shows in the number of companies per capita.
The island sits in the Baltic Sea, right between Russia, the Baltics, Sweden and Finland. It has held great strategic importance, from serving as a trading route during Hanseatic times to now hosting NATO centres and training operations. This strategic position brings its own set of challenges, which have gradually evolved into unique opportunities:
“The housing market has turned out to be an obstacle for the growing military presence since they need permanent residences during the expansion on the island. But this expansion has led to the local construction firms being kept busy during the latest industry down period.”
He continues:
“What we do see is that relationships are of great importance in a small community such as Gotland. There are a lot of local values and regulations that affect business opportunities. Such as prolonged timeframes for building permits, military approvals, protected nature areas and other natural values to be considered.”
As a financial partner, this is an interesting situation:
“This seasonal interest spurs private and company investments, drives commerce and boosts the regional housing market. As a result, we have seen both large housing projects and private project developments continuously in progress. The entrepreneurial spirit has always been strong on the island, something that shows in the number of companies per capita. These companies often need help to grow their business, to find good partnerships or to expand beyond both the island and beyond country borders.”
To be able to live on the island, people tend to get creative about their work situation, balancing multiple roles, like being part business owner and an employee at the same time. Nordea supports both islanders and visitors in achieving their dreams, whether it means starting and growing a business, buying their own house or securing their holiday heaven.