Skellefteå attracted highly skilled workers from around the world - can Sweden keep them?
Give The Swedish Migration Agency the task of developing proposals that make it possible for the highly educated workforce laid off from Northvolt to stay in the country and take other jobs within the green transformation. This is what the County Administrative Board of Västerbotten, Region Västerbotten, and Skellefteå Municipality write in a joint letter to the Government.
The green transformation is crucial to meeting climate challenges and Sweden's future competitiveness. The business community has warned that skills shortage is the biggest obstacle to transition and expansion.
After Northvolt gave notice of redundancy to over 1,600 employees in the fall, it is clear that over 1,140 employees will have to leave Northvolt Ett in Skellefteå. Many of those affected are highly educated third-country nationals with temporary work permits.
Highly skilled and in demand
In connection with a Meet and Match event for those made redundant, Skellefteå municipality conducted a survey. It shows that 90% of the 700 third-country nationals who responded to the survey have at least a three-year university degree. Due to the rules on temporary work permits, these people may have to leave the country within 0-3 months if they do not find a new job.
"We are left with a highly educated unemployed workforce that may need to leave Sweden quickly. At the same time, major initiatives linked to the green transformation are underway around the country. Swedish companies need to hire operators, electricians, mechanics, maintenance technicians, civil engineers, engineers and more. Precisely the skills that have now been released in Skellefteå and that have proved difficult to find in sufficient quantities in Sweden. But these people who are now leaving Northvolt may have left the country before companies like Stegra, Hitachi and NKT can start hiring," says Helene Hellmark Knutsson, County Governor of Västerbotten.
More exemptions needed
There are currently some exceptions from work permits for third-country nationals. If you are a citizen of a non-EU country and are a researcher, teacher or doing an internship related to a university education, you are exempt from the work permit requirement, but need to apply for a residence permit.
"If this legislation can be applied to the third-country nationals who have now been laid off from Northvolt, Sweden will have a greater opportunity to retain this highly qualified workforce, which will then be given a reasonable amount of time to be matched with new employers, or rehired by Northvolt," says Lorents Burman, Municipal Commissioner in Skellefteå.
"Västerbotten and Norrbotten have the lowest unemployment rates in Sweden. We need to retain this qualified workforce to continue to lead the development towards a more sustainable society," says Rickard Carstedt (S), Regional Councilor, Region Västerbotten.