Norrbotten maps future skills needs
Norrbotten is facing an acute skills shortage. To get a clearer picture of the needs, Region Norrbotten is now conducting a survey together with municipalities, businesses and education stakeholders. The goal is to find joint solutions for the workforce of the future.
Unemployment in Norrbotten is low, retirements are high and the proportion of people of working age is decreasing. At the same time, industry is growing rapidly and needs more and more labor.
– Add these factors together and we have a situation that does not add up. All the expertise that exists in the region needs to be used in the right way and we need to be more. There are no shortcuts, says Janus Brandin, regional development director in Region Norrbotten.
Employers' needs in focus
Today's statistics do not provide a clear local picture of labor needs. To build a solid foundation going forward, the county's employers are now being asked to respond to a survey about their recruitment needs. The results will show what skills are needed, not only today but in a few years' time.
“If we are to succeed with long-term skills supply work, we must have a clear picture of employers' needs. With proper mapping, we can create training courses that match them,” says Kjell-Åke Johansson, project manager for Kompetensarena Norrbotten.
Welfare will need to hire many people in the coming years - but how many? The survey will hopefully provide answers to that. Photo: Simon Eliasson.
Broad collaboration
The survey is intended to strengthen small and medium-sized enterprises and is being carried out in broad collaboration throughout the county between Region Norrbotten, Akademi Norr, the Association of Local Authorities of Lapland and the county's 14 municipalities.
– If a few smaller companies in one location need labor, it is difficult to get a training course approved. But if we can show that many companies in several municipalities have the same needs, we can create joint training courses, says Martin Bergvall, union manager at Akademi Norr.
The mapping is ongoing in the fall of 2025 and is part of the Kompetensarena Norrbotten project, which is co-financed by the European Social Fund and includes both the public and private sectors.
Contact
Janus Brandin, Regional Development Director in Region Norrbotten, 073- 820 67 34
Kjell-Åke Johansson, project manager for Kompetensarena Norrbotten, 070 - 574 32 01
Martin Bergvall, union manager at Akademi Norr, 070-600 33 32
