Challenges and assets of the business sector
On behalf of Gävle Municipality, Sweco has explored how the business sector in Gävle may look in the future. The result was presented at the Business breakfast. Emma Andersson, social analyst at Sweco, pointed out that changes in the business sector mean new demands on the power of attraction and living environments. Therefore, investments to strengthen the business sector are crucial. Sweco’s analysis shows that the core of the business sector in Gävle is made up of construction, logistics, hotel and restaurants, and public authorities. The growth potential can be found in education, healthcare and public authorities.
The greatest obstacles to growth in Gävle are skill shortages and problems regarding matching. To strengthen the business sector, Sweco recommends an upgrade in the skill level of the labour force and taking the existing business sector as the starting point. As skill shortage is a major problem, the University has a central role to play here.
“The University of Gävle, with its 16 000 students, attempts to contribute with upskilling and with growth. The right to award degrees of Master of Science in Engineering is an important quality label, marking the fact that we are a large higher education institution. We are doing all we can to ensure a better match between the supply of skills and labour market demand in the region,” Pro-Vice-Chancellor Lars Bengtsson concludes.
Text: Stina Lilja
Photo: Marie Hägg