Wendy Norman from South Africa, Anssi Mäkynen in Finland and Manne von Ahn Öberg in Sweden are all examples of those driving sustainable development forward.
Access to competence is a prerequisite for the growth, productivity and competitiveness across ABB. Skills are also crucial for driving sustainable development. Today, a lack of labor with the right skills is one of the greatest challenges companies in many different sectors face. The skills shortage in areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), automation, data analysis, electrification and energy means there are currently barriers in the way of ideal climate transition scenarios. This challenge is particularly apparent in northern Sweden.
Without global cooperation the region’s fossil-free steel, battery manufacturing and hydrogen investments will not be able to form the basis for a sustainable transition.
“This is not a one man show. Without collaboration we are not able to do it and this is why we have been working with northern Finland and northern Norway for quite some time. Common solutions with regards to infrastructure, energy and skills supply reinforce the attractiveness and competitiveness for the entire region,” said Sabrina Suikki, International Coordinator, Norrbotten Chamber of Commerce in Sweden. “But the need for skills within the green, sustainable industry transition cannot just be filled with people from Sweden, Finland and Norway. We need to look broader than this to attract a sufficient amount of people and fast enough. This is where ABB is a good example as it has worked a lot with global talent over a longer period of time.”
Global skills
Recruiting talent from the entire world is a prerequisite for ABB. The company and its people are leading the way in automation, electrification and digital solutions and are part of enabling a more sustainable society. Two years ago, Wendy Norman moved from South Africa to Sweden to work as Sales Manager for ABB’s mine hoist systems that raise ore hundreds of meters from underground to ground level. Her customers and colleagues are from many nationalities and are located around the world.
“Moving to Sweden was a big step but was worth every second. ABB is very good at taking care of its employees and guiding us from one country to another, throughout the entire moving process, both with administration and practical matters. It made the entire move easier,” explained Wendy. “Working in a global organization like this has many opportunities. Here, you can find your passion and have the chance to make a real difference. If you want to gain international experience, then there are tremendous job opportunities because as an ABB employee you can almost move anywhere in the world.”
Remote working tackles skills shortages
International studies1 predict the global labor shortage will be around 85 million people by 2030. There are many reasons for this, including the fallout from the pandemic, changes in expectations, technological developments, an aging population, low wages and poor benefits in many places contributing to the skills shortage. Therefore, for companies such as ABB it is important to find innovative ways of working. Frequently it is about the unique skills that are used across borders.
Anssi Mäkynen, Lead Engineer at ABB in Vaasa, Finland, has worked in many projects around the world. Right now, his focus is on electrification of several of the major Swedish industry projects. It is a job that he primarily does remotely and together with ABB colleagues in Finland, Sweden, the Czech Republic, India, Spain and Brazil.
“In my job I get to be involved at an early stage in very large and interesting projects. Many of them are new kinds of industrial projects that have not been done in Sweden or Europe before, so there are many challenges to solve. Although I travel and it is important to meet clients face to face, most things can be done digitally. I have small children and don’t want to be away every week, so to me less travel is an advantage,” said Anssi.
Sabrina Suikki, International Coordinator, Norrbotten Chamber of Commerce in Sweden. 
Wendy Norman, Sales Manager for ABB’s mine hoist systems. 
Anssi Mäkynen, Lead Engineer at ABB. 
Manne von Ahn Öberg, Service Contract Manager at ABB.
Dreams can come true in the North
The Swedish Government estimates that 100,000 more people are needed in the north and in Västerbotten up to 2035. Of these, it is estimated that 30-60,000 work in industry.
Manne von Ahn Öberg has moved north again after two decades in Stockholm. As Service Contract Manager at ABB in Skellefteå, he is responsible for service contracts with large industrial customers and gets the opportunity to work with technology as well as sustainable business development.
“When I was 20, I moved to Stockholm to be able to fulfill my dreams. I left Västerbotten because there wasn’t the opportunity to do what I wanted to do here. Since then, an immense amount has happened and after all these years I saw the opportunity to come back to fulfill my aspirations and achieve a better quality of life. There are lots of jobs available at the moment and you can become employed doing things that you don’t have the opportunity to do anywhere else,” said Manne.
Courageous companies make change possible
It is a unique development in many ways that is taking place in northern Sweden. The market-driven establishments that are made will revolutionize many industries and be decisive to the green transition.
“It’s fantastic to be able to be part of the change that is happening right now and to be able to meet the courageous companies and leaders that make it possible. But, we have to remember that the door is open now and we need to act fast. This is why I really hope that the new Swedish government and political decision makers realize that shorter permit processes and faster processing times are a must for the infrastructure, power supply and skills supply we need. If not, then someone else will do this somewhere else,” explained Sabrina.
Working at ABB
ABB in Sweden offers a flexible workplace with structured regulations that make it possible to work safely remotely. A global gender-neutral parental leave program with twelve weeks of paid leave enables all employees to combine work and parenthood. ABB works actively to enable a balance between working life, family life and leisure.
References:
1 KF-Future-of-Work-Talent-Crunch-Report.pdf (kornferry.com), Mind the [skills] gap | McKinsey & Company, ManpowerGroup Talent Shortage Study
