Sofia Goncalves, arbetsmiljöingenjör på Northvolt Ett, började sitt jobb vid halvårsskiftet. Nu har hon över 2 000 arbetskamrater.
The battery cell plant, Northvolt Ett, crossed the 1,000-employee mark in May 2022. By last December, the tally had exceeded 1,500, and this summer, the workforce count has now surpassed 2,000.
–The recruitment process continues to go very well, says Sanna Bäckström, spokesperson for Northvolt Ett.
Currently, the Skellefteå facility employs staff hailing from 95 different countries.
– We receive inquiries from all around the world. It's very evident that we have international appeal, Bäckström continues.
Recruitment remains ongoing, with an average of 50 to 100 new hires each month in Skellefteå, according to Bäckström.
–Primarily, we're recruiting production personnel, especially experienced process operators, she explains.
Among the newcomers at Northvolt Ett is Sofia Goncalve, an occupational health engineer originally from Portugal, with an extensive international career. She has previously worked at two nuclear power plants in Finland, in Namibia, and most recently at an electronics company in Turku, Finland, where she held a project-based role.
–I began looking for new job opportunities earlier this year, focusing on positions in the Nordic region, she shares.
Skellefteå was entirely new to her, despite her prior work at the planned Hanhikivi nuclear power plant in northern Ostrobothnia, Finland, which is nearly opposite Skelleftehamn.
– When I moved here, I didn't know much more about Skellefteå than what I could find online, but I like it, she explains.
– For me, it's somewhat about returning to my roots. In fact, my first job after my studies was at an international automotive component company, says Sofia.
”Jag sökte nytt jobb i början av det här året och jag sökte något i Norden”, berättar Sofia Goncalves, arbetsmiljöingenjör på Northvolt Ett, som senast arbetade i Finland.
She is happy with Skellefteå and its proximity to nature.
–This is my home, as it were, she concludes.
For Northvolt, the second phase is gathering momentum. The first two production units are currently in start-up mode. Phase two includes the next three blocks, including Upstream 2, a 40,000-square-foot building.
– We've had a bit of a lull in construction for a while, but it's picking up again this autumn, notes Bäckström.
According to Bäckström, this also means that an increasing number of temporary workers who come to Skellefteå for the construction work will move into the temporary modular accommodation at Solbacken. When fully built, the facility will house around 1,200 people.