Inclusion - a key to Boliden's international recruitment efforts

Skellefteå is expanding and the need for labor is great. The supply of skills is a challenge for many employers and international recruitment can be a solution. Boliden has recruited several talents from other countries to Skellefteå and the mining company has methods to reach out to the right target groups and help new employees settle in when they arrive.

Boliden does not keep statistics on the nationalities of its employees, but Nina Mikaelsson, HR manager at Boliden's mining staff, says that an estimated 20 to 30 international employees work at the office in Boliden, a few miles west of central Skellefteå.

- "They work mainly as geologists, but also on the engineering side with automation, rock technology and mine planning, and we have international employees in IT," says Nina.

In addition to advertising vacancies on social media, Boliden uses the Swedish Public Employment Service's international channels and the Careermine website, which targets people with skills that are in demand in the mining industry.

- Our recruitment team conducts target group analyses together with the managers, where they examine which channels work best for each target group. The managers have a good understanding of the difficult recruitment areas," says Nina.

Inviting final candidates

It is not uncommon for Boliden to invite final candidates to Skellefteå before employment contracts are signed.

- "We show them around the Boliden area and the sites where they will be working to give them a good idea of what it is like to live and work in our latitudes. We give them an internal checklist, where we inform them about how to get in touch with the authorities, what Boliden can help with and what benefits the company offers," says Nina and continues:

- "At the Boliden office we also have a group that plans and works with different leisure activities for our employees, a way to make everyone feel included. Managers and immediate colleagues also encourage international employees to join an association.

Boliden is also on the MindDig platform, which aims to attract people to northern Sweden and keep them there. The site advertises job vacancies and provides a wealth of information about what it is like to live and work in the northern parts of the country.

Benefits and challenges

Advertising jobs internationally increases the chances of reaching people with the right skills and Nina sees several benefits of diversity in the workplace.

- Several research reports show that it leads to increased creativity and efficiency in the workplace. 'In mines in other places, they may work in different ways and the employee can bring new experiences to us. People from other cultures can make us rethink the way we approach challenges," says Nina, who has a tip for companies looking to start recruiting internationally.

- A first step is to consider whether there are obstacles or personal prejudices that have contributed to not recruiting internationally and then work on them. For example, it could be the language or other internal obstacles within the organization. I can also recommend that companies contact the Swedish Migration Agency to get information about work permits, social security numbers and other things that are good to know.

The fact that potential co-migrants will also find jobs and find their way around Skellefteå is a challenge that Boliden shares with other employers in Skellefteå. The housing issue is another.

- The supply of housing is a social challenge in Skellefteå right now as the area grows. We have a limited number of homes in Boliden that we can support new employees with until they get settled, says Nina.