Fredrik Johansson, HR Manager at Metso in Skellefteå, has seen a tenfold increase in job applications since Northvolt announced its workforce reductions.
– I would like to hire everyone who applied, but unfortunately, we don’t have room.
It's just after nine o'clock on a Thursday morning. In a corner office with large windows on the outskirts of Skellefteå, about ten people are studying Swedish.
They are all recent hires, or soon-to-be employees, of Metso, a company that manufactures and develops products mainly for mines and smelters. Six of these individuals share a common background: they all previously worked at Northvolt.
Five of them were laid off during the battery company's downsizing announced last September.
– Since Northvolt started laying off employees, the number of job applications we've received has increased tenfold, says HR manager Fredrik Johansson. He's sitting in his office at the company's relatively new building, located between McDonald's, Dollar Store, and Leo's Lekland in the southern part of Skellefteå.
Since 2021, Metso, formerly Metso Outotec, has been based in a 3,000-square-metre facility in the southern part of Skellefteå. The space features long corridors, offices, open work areas, staff rooms, and conference rooms. Currently, 126 people from 10 different countries work here.
Since 2021, Metso, formerly Metso Outotec, has been based in a 3,000-square-metre facility in the southern part of Skellefteå. The space features long corridors, offices, open work areas, staff rooms, and conference rooms. Currently, 126 people from 10 different countries work here.
Since 2021, Metso, formerly Metso Outotec, has been based in a 3,000-square-metre facility in the southern part of Skellefteå. The space features long corridors, offices, open work areas, staff rooms, and conference rooms. Currently, 126 people from 10 different countries work here.
Since 2021, Metso, formerly Metso Outotec, has been based in a 3,000-square-metre facility in the southern part of Skellefteå. The space features long corridors, offices, open work areas, staff rooms, and conference rooms. Currently, 126 people from 10 different countries work here.
While speaking Swedish is not a company requirement, Metso offers on-the-job Swedish language courses for interested employees. Ralf Pettersson, a teacher with Medlefors, views this as a valuable initiative.
This approach is not uncommon. For instance, Boliden has been providing weekly Swedish courses for nearly two years, he notes.
– Interest is high, and participants are highly motivated, says Ralf.
–Learning in a workplace setting is very effective. However, the challenge lies in applying these skills outside of work, as many Swedes readily switch to English.
Ralf Pettersson holds Swedish lessons for Metso staff in a large, bright conference room. – The interest is high, and the participants are very motivated, he says.
Started at Metso last week
One of the new employees in the room is process engineer Gözde Aycan Tarier. Originally from Izmir, Turkey, she relocated to Skellefteå in early 2022 to join Northvolt.
– I was immediately greeted by the cold and a massive snowstorm that lasted for three days, she recalls.
– But things improved, and the summer was fantastic.
Gözde enjoyed her two and a half years at Northvolt and was shocked by the shutdown of Upstream 1.
– We were aware of challenges with Upstream 2, but we didn't anticipate the complete shutdown, says Gözde, who started her job at Metso just last Monday.
Gözde Aycan Tarier from Turkey and Milad Kargar from Iran are both new at Metso. Gözde had her first day last Monday, and Milad starts this week.
Gözde highly values the opportunity to learn Swedish during work hours. Even at Northvolt, they offered language courses, but they were conducted online and outside working hours.
– I was exhausted and couldn't concentrate back then. This on-the-job learning is truly beneficial for me.
Adhin Raveendran from India and Reza Sharifi from Iran are two of those taking the opportunity to learn Swedish during work hours. – It's very beneficial. It helps me adapt better here, says Adhin.
Milad: "Northvolt was like a family to me"
Milad Kargar from Tehran, Iran, has a similar background to Gözde. He started at Northvolt at the end of 2022 as a senior industrial architect.
He was responsible for the work on the buildings related to the expansion of the battery factory, which was abruptly halted following the bankruptcy of the subsidiary Northvolt Expansion AB on October 8.
He was told in a one-on-one meeting that his job at Northvolt was likely to be cut before the company made a public announcement.
– Northvolt was like a family to me, and the buildings were like my babies. The news felt like losing a child. Like losing a family member, says Milad as we sit down in the lounge area outside the conference room where Swedish lessons are taking place.
Since Milad is not from an EU country, the countdown began to the date when he and his wife would have to leave Sweden if neither of them found a new job.
This marked the start of a difficult period for him.
– It was a tough time, no doubt. I couldn’t sleep and often woke up feeling stressed. My relationship with my wife was also affected, he says.
Milad Kargar, originally from Tehran, Iran, was laid off when Northvolt stopped expanding its factory.
– It was definitely a difficult time, he admits.
– I couldn't sleep properly and often woke up feeling anxious, he recalls about the period following his layoff, when he had to find a new job to stay in Sweden.
Have needed these kinds of employees for a long time
In a smaller conference room, not far from where the Swedish lesson is taking place, sit three men who were involved in recruiting the people who previously worked at Northvolt. They all agree that it had been difficult to find the right staff, until the autumn of 2024.
– The reason we have hired now is not because we’ve “taken advantage of the situation,” but because we’ve had a need for a long time but haven’t been able to find people with the right skills, says HR manager Fredrik Johansson.
Fredrik Johansson, HR manager, Jens Skoogh, department manager for plant and piping, and Viktor Larsson, department manager for electrical instruments and automation.
Department heads Jens Skoogh and Viktor Larsson concur with this assessment.
– It’s like night and day compared to before. There are definitely more applications, and especially more relevant ones, says Jens.
The three of them all agree that Northvolt has succeeded in something they have long tried to do themselves: bringing in external talent.
– They have been very good at bringing people in and haven’t cannibalised existing companies. Historically, many consultants and engineers have just chopped and changed locally between companies, but that hasn’t been the case here, says Jens, with Viktor agreeing.
– It’s really impressive how they’ve worked with housing, integration, and everything around it. It would never have been possible for us as a company to start such a process.
Viktor Larsson is impressed by Northvolt’s ability to attract talent to northern Sweden. – It would never have been possible for us as a company to start such a process, he says.
"I'm in love with Skellefteå"
Milad Kargar from Iran, who was facing the risk of being deported from Sweden, felt relieved when he received the news from Metso at the end of November that he had been offered the position of plant designer.
– I was "over the moon" happy. It was really fantastic, he says.
Milad also had offers from companies in other Swedish cities, but he really wanted to stay in Skellefteå.
– Here, people treat me like a brother. I’ve received a lot of support, and I don’t feel like a foreigner. I’m in love with Skellefteå, he says.
Milad had job offers from several cities but really wanted to stay in Skellefteå.
– Here, people treat me like a brother. I’ve received a lot of support, and I don’t feel like a foreigner. I’m in love with Skellefteå, he says.
"We want to hire more"
Currently, 126 people work at Metso's office in Skellefteå. They come from Sweden, Norway, India, Iran, Iraq, China, Russia, Poland, the Netherlands, and Turkey.
Fredrik Johansson explains that they are in the process of hiring at least two more people, who will most likely have experience from Northvolt.
– Many from Northvolt have the right skills and really want to stay in Skellefteå. I would like to hire everyone who applies, but unfortunately, we don’t have the space for that, he says.
Adhin Raveendran from India previously worked at Northvolt as an automation engineer but left before the major cutbacks. Since September 26, he has been employed as an electrical designer at Metso. – Skellefteå is a great place that is growing, and there’s a lot to do. I’m really happy here, says Adhin.
Given that some candidates were under time pressure to secure new employment, Metso expedited its recruitment processes.
– This has not impacted our selection criteria, but it has necessitated a more rapid pace to the recruitment process. We have prioritized certain candidates to ensure we did not miss out on valuable talent, Skoogh says. t
Skoogh adds that he has been putting in extra hours in the evenings to keep up with the increased workload.
Jens Skoogh, Metso, has worked overtime to keep up with the recruitment process. – Yes, there have been a few late evenings, he says.
No exact figures – yet
At present, there are no reliable figures on how many of those who were laid off at Northvolt have found new jobs in Skellefteå. Skellefteå municipality’s business office conducted a survey, but the final results will not be available for a few weeks.
– We know that some people have found work after the efforts that have been made, and that several dialogues are still ongoing, but no exact numbers yet, says Desirée Ödén, business developer and project manager for Meet and Match, which the municipality organised together with the Swedish Employment Agency (Arbetsförmedlingen) and Northvolt during the autumn.
Gözde Aycan Tarier and Milad Kargar are delighted to have secured new jobs in Skellefteå, where they can use their skills.
It's evident that many of these individuals want to stay in Skellefteå. Among those who have relocated and spoken with Norran at Metso, a clear sentiment emerges:
– We want to stay here as long as possible, says Gözde Aycan Tarier from Turkey.