Over Skellefteå
The arrival of large-scale green industry investment in Skellefteå has brought a question that not every fast-growing city pauses to ask: who gets to benefit?
The municipality's Labour Market Unit has made that question central to its work. Its approach combines generalmeasures with targeted support for those furthest from employment. At the heart of the model is sustained, individualised coaching. Supported employment programmes run alongside these initiatives, creating structured pathways for those who need them. For young people, subsidised summer jobs offer a first experience of the labour market.
Furthermore, permanent positions have been created for persons with disabilities, not traineeships, not temporary placements, but lasting employment. Supported traineeships for refugees ensure that those rebuilding their lives in Skellefteå are not watching the city’s transformation from the outside.
The ambition is straightforward, even if the work is not, namely that the opportunities generated by Skellefteå's remarkable economic moment are open to everyone, regardless of background, ability or origin.