In only the course of this three year project, big changes occurred in the employment of immigrants in Oppland. The increase in job seekers from Poland is first and foremost responsible for this. Poles comprise the largest immigrant group in Oppland County and also on a national basis.

At the end of 2007 more Danes (775) had come Oppland than people from any other single nation. Poles stood at number seven (363). Fifteen years earlier in 1995, there were 766 Danes and 120 Poles living in Oppland.

While the number of Danes has held constant since 2007, the expansion of the European Union in 2004 led to Poles streaming into Oppland and the rest of Norway. At the end of 2010, 1040 Poles were registered as residing in Oppland. This was almost a tripling over three years. In reality the number is many times greater as many Poles are seasonal workers coming and going. Lithuanians have also moved up on the list over their earlier 20th place. Three times as many (375) were registered in 2010 as three years earlier. Many Swedes come to Norway to find work; this number has also shown a marked increase with 508 at the beginning of the 21st century and 660 in January 2010.
In our material the greatest number of interviews are with Poles who have come here for employment. However we also have interviewed job seekers from many other countries.