Unemployment is rising.
At the same time, more and more companies report that they encounter obstacles that prevent them from growing.
– We have great difficulty finding labor for production work – it is almost impossible, says Veronica Apelqvist, CEO of BD Fisk in Luleå.
It is the employer organization Svenskt Näringsliv that reports that Swedish companies find it more difficult to hire staff and grow.
In the survey, approximately 80 percent say that they encountered obstacles that make it difficult for them to hire staff.
Lack of skills is the biggest problem – something that is particularly noticeable in northern Sweden.
BD Fisk in Luleå processes salmon, halibut roe and sour strömming. The fish are there – but getting new staff to catch them is all the more difficult.
– We have great difficulty finding labor for production work – it is almost impossible, says Veronica Apelqvist, who is the company’s CEO.
“A sign of weakness for the Swedish economy”
Sven-Olov Daunfeldt is chief economist at Swedish Enterprise.
– That we see in a recession that more than half of the companies say that it is an obstacle to their growth that they cannot find the personnel they require – that is really a sign of weakness for the Swedish economy, he says.
Swedish Business is calling for education better suited to business – and also increased labor immigration, which the government says it is delivering.
Johan Pehrson, Minister of Labor Markets:
– We have also made a big impact on labor immigration so that more qualified labor immigrants will receive a faster notification. They should be able to come to Sweden faster, and be able to participate and contribute to building Sweden.
“Hope to find nuggets”
Today, BD Fisk in Luleå has 16 employees – but they would like to be a bunch more.
The company’s CEO Veronica Apelqvist concludes:
– We probably would have liked to be between 23 and 25. But I hope we can find some gold nuggets.