Published: Just now
There is a significant lack of labor for elderly care in several places in Norrbotten, reports Sweden’s Radio Ekot. In Pajala, this means that for the first time ever, they will be forced to hire assistant nurses during the fall, something that was previously only done in the summer.
– We are very short of substitutes. It’s enough to catch a cold and if several people get sick, we’re in dire straits, says Mervi Kostet, social manager in Pajala, to the radio.
Kostet refers the shortage to the fact that there is competition for labor as a result of several large industrial investments in the region. The situation looks similar in Boden and Överkalix, even in the latter municipality they will be forced to hire assistant nurses this autumn.
– The supply of skills is a big issue for the whole of Norrbotten, says Stina Karlsson, who works with the issue at Norrbotten’s municipal association, to the radio.
In Pajala, they are now looking at different solutions, for example more attractive schedules, to attract staff.