Number of unemployed graduates rise in Sweden as companies want blue-collar workers

"We need to adapt courses to the needs of the labour market. One in four attempts to recruit is unsuccessful, according to a survey by the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise sent to 5,000 companies. Trade workers were the most difficult to find. There is a serious lack of sheet metal workers, for example."

"In Stockholm almost half of those registered as unemployed have post-secondary education, partly due to a number of large layoffs over the past six months. A big layoff from Scania in Sodertalje, 750 people, all of them white-collar workers, many well-educated. 2,000 at Volvo in Gothenburg. All engineers."

Sweden's Public Employment Service reports rising unemployment among graduates, yet companies struggle to fill positions, particularly for blue-collar workers. A survey by the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise found that one in four recruitment attempts fail, with trade workers being especially difficult to find. Sheet metal workers are particularly scarce. In Stockholm, nearly half of registered unemployed have post-secondary education, largely due to recent major layoffs from automotive companies like Scania and Volvo. These layoffs displaced primarily white-collar and highly educated workers. The mismatch between available talent and employer needs indicates educational programs must adapt to labor market requirements.

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