Ratio Working Paper No. 348: Regional collaboration to enhance recruitment to rural regions

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to study how municipalities work at the regional level with issues concerning skills shortages and recruitment. What information channels are used to obtain information about these shortcomings? How and with whom do the municipalities collaborate? This study provides a mapping of how collaboration between employers, regional policymakers, and other institutions works with regional recruitment. As such, this study provides important information and possible inspiration. The empirical findings obtained based on a survey targeted to the business sections in Swedish municipalities suggest that companies in rural regions turn to municipalities to a greater extent than companies in non-rural municipalities in regard to skills shortages and recruitment. In addition, it is perceived that there is a higher degree of cooperation between businesses and local politicians in regard to recruitment in rural municipalities compared to other municipalities. Even cooperation to develop competence at the regional level is thought to take place to a greater extent in rural municipalities than in non-rural municipalities.