Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: More and more Southeast Asian individuals and families are building new lives in Greenland’s remote communities. The world’s largest island is experiencing one of the fastest demographic shifts in its modern history. Its small population, the steady outmigration of young people and a growing economy have created an unexpected migration corridor for workers from Southeast Asia.
The two largest foreign migrant groups in Greenland today are from the Philippines and Thailand; with approximately 1,300 and 460 people respectively out of a total population of 57,000. The number of Filipinos has risen from about 270 ¿ve years ago, while the Thai population has roughly doubled in the same time.
But these migrants are also living the extremes of the high north; the darkness- ¿lled winter days, the midnight sun that barely sets in the warmer months, the brutal temperatures and the stark disconnect, all with the aim of forging a better life. Filipinos and Thais now work across the island’s supermarkets, hotels, restaurants, ¿sheries, cleaning companies, breweries, health facilities and small businesses.
Between 12 per cent and 13 per cent of the territory’s workforce now comes from outside Greenlandic backgrounds, reÀecting an economy that is now fundamentally relying on foreign labour. Greenland is an “economy of growth” right now, as it pushes to diversify and expand its tourism, service, mining and energy sectors, said Christian Kjeldsen, chief executive oႈcer of the Greenland Business Association, the territory’s largest private sector employers’ and trade organisation.
As United States President Donald Trump maintains his sights on the autonomous territory within the kingdom of Denmark, even more global attention has been thrust upon it and its Àedgling economy.
Making good money
The average worker from Asia in Greenland – across all sectors – earned US$52,800 annually, based on 2024 data.
That is about 9.5 times the average annual wage in Thailand, and more than 12 times the average annual wage in the Philippines. The Greenland government also provides benefits for overseas workers.
The government is working with the business community to come up with fast-track solutions, making it easier for the employers to get staႇ, Kjeldsen of the Greenland Business Association explained. Isolated cases of racism though still present as painful reminders to migrants that they are outsiders here.
