Find your dream job and help save the planet
LULEÅ, SWEDEN – Industrial and research powerhouses of northern Sweden, including LKAB, SSAB, Northvolt, Boliden, Skellefteå Kraft, H2 Green Steel, Mobilaris, Vattenfall, and Luleå University of Technology are combining forces to challenge the narrative about what is possible as they seek to decarbonize everything from steel, raw materials, batteries, servers, fuels, and the electric grid. But to do this, they need talent. And a lot of it. That is where MindDig comes in, a new digital platform aimed at attracting and retaining the best minds in the world to enable these companies to carry out their mission to decarbonize the impossible.
Node Pole CEO Christoffer Svanberg notes: “Sweden is quickly becoming the sustainable industrial center of Europe, and one of the globally most exciting places for sustainable growth. For talents of all ages it is the place to be if you want to make a valuable contribution and have a fantastic quality of life. The major companies in this exciting cluster are now working together to indeed change the world. With MindDig we are creating an easy path to take part in this excellent development.”
Historic Investment to Save the Planet
More than 120 billion Euro is being invested in northern Sweden, by both public and private entities, in a concerted effort to bring green industrial breakthroughs, including the world’s first fossil-free steel, the world’s greenest batteries, the world’s greenest raw materials extraction process, and the world’s greenest servers, to the global market at scale. Within 5 years, more than 25,000 people, ranging from chief engineers and designers to production workers, electricians, and everything in between are needed to realize the success of this ambition and enable Sweden and Europe to meet and exceed their collective climate change goals.
This recruitment effort began more than two years ago with the T25 Initiative (Talent 25,000), created by the largest employers of northern Sweden. This informal coalition of companies is working together to innovate their respective industries and transform this region into the world’s most impactful green industrial supercluster. The next step for the T25 coalition is the launch of MindDig.com – a recruitment and regional development platform.
How 25,000 jobs will turn into 100,000 jobs
If the companies are to succeed in bringing 25,000 new residents to this region, the total number will be closer to 100,000 because for every new industry job, others must be created in sectors that service a growing populace from waiters to teachers to doctors and nurses. That number means there simply are not enough Swedes to fulfill this need, although T25 is encouraging all Swedes who want a new career or who want to be part of the green transformation to take the trek north and join the initiative. As a result of the likely global nature of the talent, MindDig showcases not only all the jobs available at its industrial partners, but also information about the quality of life in Sweden and its robust social welfare system, including its universal healthcare and education (including free college tuition), 480 days of paid parental leave (that can be split between parents), at least 5 weeks of paid vacation, and 120 days of paid leave per year granted to parents to take care of sick children. “We are no longer competing just with each other for the best talent in northern Sweden or even the Nordics, ”says Grete Solvang Stoltz, Senior Vice President of HR and Sustainable Development at LKAB, “we need to compete with the most dynamic regions in the world. And to do that, we must work together and show the global talent pool why this is one of the most incredible places on earth for working professionals, families, and especially women.
Sharing Talent for a Greater Purpose the companies have also all agreed to invite new talent that they cannot hire immediately, for whatever reason, to join MindDig and learn about the other industries in the region – a unique feature MindDig calls “Talent Recirculation.” As founder Markus Gustafsson explains, “the impetus behind the idea in sharing talent is that if a person is interested in moving to northern Sweden, we don’t want to lose them just because their first option didn’t materialize. There are a lot of employers in this region, and everyone who wants to take part in the green industrial transformation is welcome.”
MindDig goes live on December 1st. For more information or to join, visit MindDig.com.
And as the MindDig team says: “We have 100,000 jobs, 9 years to save the planet, and more money than we can spend.”