Staying, moving, or crossing the border? Student teachers’ employment intentions in the Nordic Green Belt

Ensuring a sustainable supply of qualified teachers in rural regions remains a persistent challenge. This study examines student teachers’ employment intentions and perceptions of recruitment incentives in the Nordic Green Belt, encompassing Jämtland-Härjedalen (Sweden) and Trøndelag (Norway). These structurally similar rural regions face persistent teacher shortages. The study draws on a cross-sectional survey of 503 student teachers: 282 Swedish and 221 Norwegian students enrolled in Teacher Education or Early Childhood Teacher Education Programmes in study year 1 to 3. The study investigates differences in intentions to remain in the current region, work in the neighbouring country, and perceived recruitment incentives. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Fisher’s exact tests, and Cramér’s V, complemented by respondent validation. Swedish student teachers reported a stronger intention to remain in their current region than Norwegian student teachers (79.8% versus 63.8%). Swedish students were also more likely to consider working in Norway than Norwegian students were to consider working in Sweden (6.0% versus 2.3%). Higher salaries were regarded as an important incentive by 85.8% of Swedish and 81.9% of Norwegian respondents. The findings highlight the importance of place-based and context-sensitive strategies for strengthening teacher recruitment and retention in rural and interregional contexts.