OECD Territorial Reviews: Skåne, Sweden 2012
The OECD Territorial Review of Skåne assesses the capacity of the third largest region in Sweden to compete for investment and talents in an increasingly globalised economy. Skåne has long been one of the three major engines of national growth and it ranks among the top-class research and technology hubs in the OECD, but it needs to gain back the momentum it lost during the crisis. The region's strong knowledge assets and demographic dynamism have not translated into corresponding gains in terms of productivity and skills. The Review shows the way forward towards a smart, healthy and inclusive region and calls for targeted policies to boost demand-driven innovation, make the most of its diversified pool of human capital, and maintain a high quality environment to work and live in.
Building a more efficient and cohesive regional labour market in Skåne
Skåne has long been one of the three major engines of national growth but it has been underperforming both the other metropolitan regions since the late 1990s. While the population it has attracted both from abroad and elsewhere in Sweden has tended to concentrate in a few large municipalities, this demographic dynamism has not translated into corresponding gains in terms of productivity and skills. This calls for a particular focus on building a more efficient and cohesive labour market. This chapter begins with an overview of the labour market context – the national policy context, and the regional context – within which regional policy operates. The chapter then continues with a deeper focus on the labour market experiences of the categories of workers particularly vulnerable and underexploited in Skåne’s labour market: immigrants, youth, the low-skilled. Finally the chapter concludes with a look into potential policy directions for the region.