International talent crucial for growth
A survey conducted by the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise shows that approximately 75 percent of all international students in Sweden also want to remain and work here, but only 20 percent do so after earning their degree. SICK Linköping is one of the companies that relies on this kind of competence.
The question is, why are we losing talent that is already here in Sweden and wants to stay, while our companies are crying out for the competence that is leaving? Next year (2024), it is estimated that 70,000 positions will need to be filled in the tech industry in Sweden.
“The international students need more help in terms of where to apply and to make contact with companies. In order to make it easier, in Switch to Sweden, we have started arranging matchmaking activities and currently have 235 registered companies in the country that are interested in hiring international talent. They are matched against registered international talents based on their competencies”, says Hela Galvis Bonilla, project manager at Linköping Science Park.
SICK invests in international talent
The software company SICK Linköping desperately needs to bring in new competence and is investing in international talent.
“We are constantly looking for competence in software and image processing. Since the supply in Sweden is not enough, we see a great opportunity in looking abroad, which also has other positive effects through increased diversity. We bring in talent through Linkedin, our own recruitment portal, as well as in cooperation with Linköping's Science Park initiative”, says CEO Joakim Delbom.
“For the past year, we have used English in all of our written communication and in our meetings so that new employees who do not speak Swedish feel included. Something that works surprisingly well”, says HR manager Charlotte Axelsson.
International talent Vaibhav Arakala moved to Linköping
Vaibhav Arakala, from India, is one of the international talents who got a position at SICK and moved to Linköping after studying to become an engineer in robotics and automation at University West in Gothenburg.
“After receiving tips about Sweden, I applied here and there is absolutely nothing I regret about it today. Even though in the winter, it is a dark and cold country, and it is a bit difficult to find new friends, I felt that there were good opportunities to get a good job related to my education. I found the ad for SICK on Linkedin and was very happy when I got the job. I am really enjoying myself, both in terms of my work duties and my colleagues. They have a good culture here and they take care of their employees. I feel very welcome”, he says.