Industry growth 'highest for ten years'
Growth in Swedish industry is stronger than for ten years, according to a new survey by white-collar union Sif. The next six months will bring growth in employment, orders, production, sales and profits, according to the union.
At the same time, the union pointed to a shortage of qualified workers in a number of sectors as a potential worry for the future.
The survey is based on responses from Sif officials at 130 companies in ten sectors. Engineering, motor-manufacturing, telecoms and IT were most optimistic about the coming six months.
Those surveyed expected increased demand for both white-collar and blue-collar workers, although the food and pharmaceutical industries are expected to see the number of jobs fall.
Thomas Carlén, economist at Sif, said the results of the survey were "pleasing," but also issued a warning:
"We can see that manufacturing companies' investments have increased somewhat, but this should have happened earlier. The fact that industry is already using a very large portion of its capacity brings with it a risk that companies won't be able to meet demand before investments start to take effect."
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At the same time, the union pointed to a shortage of qualified workers in a number of sectors as a potential worry for the future.
The survey is based on responses from Sif officials at 130 companies in ten sectors. Engineering, motor-manufacturing, telecoms and IT were most optimistic about the coming six months.
Those surveyed expected increased demand for both white-collar and blue-collar workers, although the food and pharmaceutical industries are expected to see the number of jobs fall.
Thomas Carlén, economist at Sif, said the results of the survey were "pleasing," but also issued a warning:
"We can see that manufacturing companies' investments have increased somewhat, but this should have happened earlier. The fact that industry is already using a very large portion of its capacity brings with it a risk that companies won't be able to meet demand before investments start to take effect."
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