Great interest in the opportunities in the north

- Come, come, we have jobs of all kinds and a fantastic quality of life! That was the message from Ida Rönnblom, head of the office at the Swedish Public Employment Service KOM Norr and Stina Almkvist, strategist at Region Norrbotten. They participated in the Swedish Public Employment Service's national webcast to highlight the opportunities available in Norrbotten and Västerbotten.

The interest in the broadcast on September 27th was great and was followed by hundreds of questions in the chat. The questions concerned both big and small issues. Some examples:

• Are there tax breaks if you move up?
• What type of jobs are available?
• What does cultural life look like?
• How are your salary levels?
• Are there really jobs in all industries?
• I am a designer, can I find a job?

Hopefully, the broadcast sowed some seeds that may one day lead to new residents with us in the north.

Population supply a major challenge

The webcast was followed by a collaboration meeting between Region Norrbotten and the employment agency Kom Norr, where the challenges of our northernmost counties were discussed. In his work, national coordinator Peter Larsson has increasingly begun to talk about population supply issueThis concept encompasses both issues of skills supply and attraction.

We found that there are several obstacles and problems related to education. One issue that will need to be addressed is that too many education and training courses are being started in relation to how many people are actually applying for them. There is simply no balance between supply and demand. 

The ecosystem around all the players in the skills supply sector is not able to handle today's challenges. The time when you could organize training and get applicants without much effort is over. Today, new and sharpened skills in communication and marketing are required to reach out to the noise. As a training provider, you rarely have the resources to do so.

Inspiration for solutions can be found in other countries. In Denmark, for example, employers contribute to a fund for vocational training, perhaps something to emulate?

New tools are required

The supply of skills holds many questions and challenges. How can employers become better at retaining their workforce? How do we deal with the trend of women leaving welfare jobs and going into industry? We do not see any trend in the opposite direction, that is, men going from industry to jobs in education and care.

If we are to succeed in the sustainable societal transition, new approaches, methods, tools and resources are required. This autumn we will start the work of identifying the different elements and actors of the population supply chain so that together we can solve what needs to be solved.

Text: Stina Almkvist, Talent Attraction Strategy
Photo: Charlotte Lindman