Boden remains strong in business climate

Boden continues to rank among the municipalities with the strongest business climate in Norrbotten. In this year’s survey from the Swedish Confederation of Enterprise, the municipality receives an overall rating of 3.9 and ranks 84th in Sweden. This represents a slight decline compared with last year – but Boden remains clearly above both the regional and national averages.

Businesses particularly highlight the municipality’s service and responsiveness, dialogue with the municipality, and processes related to permits and supervision as strengths. At the same time, there is a decline in perceptions of attitudes towards entrepreneurship among both politicians and civil servants.

– When changes occur in both the organisation and in politics, it takes time to build new relationships and find working methods that function well together. This is a natural part of a municipality in transition. What matters is that our direction remains clear: Boden should be a place where companies want to grow, where new establishments are possible, and where we continue to strengthen a broad and diversified labour market, says municipal commissioner Béatrice Öman.

Housing development at the forefront

The survey also shows that Boden’s rapid societal transformation is having a significant impact on everyday life for businesses. Skills supply, housing development and infrastructure are repeatedly identified as the most important issues for continued growth. Companies particularly highlight the need for more housing, more people trained in relevant professions, and an even closer dialogue between the municipality and the business community.

– We are currently in a very high level of development pressure, which is evident across many parts of society – not least within our own municipal organisation. At the same time, this year’s survey shows that we have a stable foundation to build on, particularly in terms of service, responsiveness and dialogue. The focus now is on continuing to develop the areas where we see the greatest needs ahead. That is absolutely crucial if we are to continue growing at the pace we want, says Béatrice Öman.

Béatrice Öman, Municipal Commissioner, Boden Municipality