"Create fast-tracks to attract excellence from abroad"

Debate Skills supply
It is urgent to make Sweden an attractive country for qualified international labor, as our prosperity is based on knowledge-intensive industrial and service companies remaining here and being able to compete on the world market. In a debate article in Göteborgsposten, TechSverige's Association Director Åsa Zetterberg, together with Teknikföretagen's CEO Klas Wahlberg and Anders Persson, acting Association Director at Innovationsföretagen, write that a change of course is required:

"While Sweden's competitor countries are working hard to attract global talent, Sweden is doing the opposite. It is not good enough. We need to get our work permits in order and we need an ambitious and long-term strategy for talent attraction."

The authors of the article express hope for highly skilled labor immigration, as the parties forming the parliamentary basis of the next government have all committed to speeding up permit processes and have proposed, for example, a 30-day guarantee at the Swedish Migration Agency for new work permits.

The article presents clear calls to action for the new government:

- Ensure that the processing times at the Migration Agency for work permits are significantly reduced. The Government can do this through clear wording in its appropriation directions for the agency for 2023. The work permit process must be efficient, transparent in the requirements that are set and service-oriented. A Talent Express with extra fast processing should be introduced for serious knowledge-intensive companies.

- Develop a national strategy for global talent attraction. This must be coordinated across several subject areas, and include both permissive regulations, tax breaks and marketing to the target group in other countries.

Read the full article on gp.se.