Mapping will provide important guidance for future action
Today's regular press conference (29 October) was attended by Kristina Sundin Jonsson, municipal chief executive officer, Lars Lustig, county councillor, and Patrik Sällström, director of regional development. Among other things, the conclusions of the first meeting of Meet & Match, which took place on Friday, were presented - as well as the results of the survey carried out to find out how the local business community is affected by Northvolt's challenges.
'More than 70 stakeholders took part in the first Meet & Match event, which attracted around 3,000 visitors. Visitors were hopeful about the opportunity to meet employers, but also worried about the future, so it was an emotional day. It is too early to say what the outcome of the meetings will be, but I am convinced that they will make a big difference to both employers and jobseekers. We must not forget that the demand for skills in the region is still very high', says Kristina Sundin Jonsson, Skellefteå’s municipal chief executive officer.
The responses to the survey of the business community, carried out together with employers' organisations and the Swedish Confederation of Enterprise (Företagarna), are valuable in the ongoing work to support the local business community. The responses show that some companies may be severely affected, but that the spillover effects are not yet as great as previously feared.
The mapping will form the basis for further dialogue with employers' organisations and the local business community, as well as with public actors, to see what measures can be implemented. Municipalities have a limited toolbox to support businesses in the economic crisis, so the focus will continue to be on organising various initiatives together with other actors.
It is also a matter of continuing to support companies that need to recruit and facilitate this work now that more people are available on the labour market.
There is also a demand from companies for initiatives to improve the skills of their employees, especially in technical areas that can make companies more competitive. The Municipality of Skellefteå and Region Västerbotten can contribute by offering training programmes or subsidised courses.
'The mapping is valuable in the ongoing work to support affected companies in Skellefteå and Västerbotten. Region Västerbotten has already introduced new transitional support in the form of a temporary skills voucher, which is funded by the government's regional development fund. In addition, we can also help with projects and business support adapted to new needs,' says Patrik Sällström, director of regional development in Region Västerbotten.
In the survey, the companies also emphasise the importance of the public sector and other large private actors outsourcing planned construction projects, with the E4 bypass and the Norrbotten railway being mentioned in particular. But it could also be large mining projects or other infrastructure and housing projects.
'The government now has a unique opportunity to make a quick decision on the start of construction of the Norrbotten Line, which would save the state money, benefit companies and realise one of Sweden's most important infrastructure projects. Such a decision would mean that companies that have lost contracts could instead be used to build infrastructure, thus avoiding bankruptcy, retaining staff, employing more people and continuing to contribute to Sweden's green transition,' says Lars Lustig, County Councillor, Västerbotten County Administrative Board.
Facts from the survey:
- Skellefteå Municipality has completed an initial analysis and received a total of 144 responses from local businesses. Of these, 96 are located in Skellefteå and the rest elsewhere.
- Företagarna (43), Teknikföretagen (25) and Byggföretagen (22) are the trade organisations with the most respondents.
- Of these, 40 per cent of the companies have had orders from Northvolt, and most of these orders have now been completed.
- Of those who responded, 70 percent were small companies with less than 50 employees.
- 10 percent stated that they will have to lay off or have laid off employees, while 10 percent stated that it is likely or possible that they will have to lay off employees.
- Several companies would like financial support from public authorities to help them cope with the costs associated with the transition. This could include support to diversify their business, develop new business models or invest in new markets.
- Some businesses stress the importance of working with other businesses and actors within the community to share resources and skills. They see value in participating in joint networks to find new business opportunities and to reduce risks in case of a possible decline in demand from Northvolt.