International mobility is a form of flexible labor market adaptation available for young Nordic
nationals who have the privilege of relatively easy return if life abroad does not work out. The article
considers mobility as a labor market transition and examines the pre- and post-migration situation
of two Finnish return migrant groups?those who lived abroad in 1999 and in 2004?based on
longitudinal register data. It considers the consequences of return for an individual migrant: is it a form
of failure in labor market integration in the country of destination or rather a sign of success whereby
the skills, resources, and experiences gained abroad are brought back to the country of origin.
Migrants who leave Finland nowadays often opt to move to other Nordic countries and are younger,
more educated, and have a better socio-economic status than previous migrant generations. The
article demonstrates that international migration does not deteriorate the returnees? labor market
status. While re-entry into the Finnish labor market may take some time and flexibility, mobility
seems to pay off and have beneficial consequences: return migrants earn higher taxable incomes
and have lower unemployment rates than their peers who only stayed in the national labor markets..
