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The supply of labour to the green industries in Sweden: inequality and dependence among workers and employers
Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Geography.ORCID iD: 0000-0003-2997-9059
Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Geography.ORCID iD: 0000-0002-3026-1477
2025 (English)In: Journal of Rural Studies, ISSN 0743-0167, E-ISSN 1873-1392, Vol. 116, article id 103631Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Sweden's green industries along with public agencies have for a long-time expressed concern over labour shortage as a consequence of the depopulation of rural areas. Agriculture and forestry have seen increased employment of migrant workers which has been accredited to this shortage, especially in parts of the production that is accentuated by manual work and seasonality. Just as in the wild berry industry, these workers often face precarious conditions in Sweden. However, the solutions to the labour shortage are described differently by different stakeholders. This paper explores how different stakeholders on the Swedish labour market describe their need for labour within the greens industries, particularly the spatiality of the labour demands and the green commodity chain. Interviews are made with trade unions, state agencies, municipalities, and employers. In addition, policy documents and public statistics form the backdrop to the research. We identify four main themes in the narratives: Migrant labour is dominant; Agreement that it's not easy to recruit, but the reasons why differ: The attractiveness of the industry; A growing distance between resources and industries. In conclusion, the green industries have on a structural plane chosen to solve their labour supply, which is shaped by contemporary globalization, but also that solutions can be multifaceted and dependent on the employers.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Elsevier, 2025. Vol. 116, article id 103631
Keywords [en]
Globalisation, Neo-liberalisation, Rural labour market change
National Category
Human Geography
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-237697DOI: 10.1016/j.jrurstud.2025.103631ISI: 001448061300001Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-86000744517OAI: oai:DiVA.org:umu-237697DiVA, id: diva2:1953651
Funder
Swedish Research Council Formas, 2011-00072Available from: 2025-04-22 Created: 2025-04-22 Last updated: 2025-04-22Bibliographically approved

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Olofsson, IrmaLundmark, Linda
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CiteExportLink to record
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Cite
Citation style
  • apa
  • ieee
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  • vancouver
  • Other style
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Language
  • de-DE
  • en-GB
  • en-US
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  • nn-NO
  • nn-NB
  • sv-SE
  • Other locale
More languages
Output format
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  • asciidoc
  • rtf