This year’s pay initiative targets home care and personal assistance staff

The background is a clear forecast for the future. According to the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (SKR), the number of employees in elderly care in Boden needs to increase by 32 percent over the coming decade. At the same time, population projections show that the proportion of residents over the age of 85 is expected to grow by nearly 60 percent.

“We obviously need to attract more people to welfare professions, especially in health and social care where we face a major challenge,” says Ingela Arngren, Head of HR in the Municipality of Boden. “The challenge is due to several factors, primarily the demographics with more elderly people and fewer of working age, and secondly the new local competition for labour following major industrial establishments. But new recruitments are not the whole solution. To manage this staffing challenge, we also need to become better at retaining and developing the skills we already have – and both pay and the work environment play an important role in that.”

More Measures to Strengthen Care Professions

The targeted pay initiative is part of broader efforts to increase the attractiveness of all professions within the Social Services Department. Managers have identified six development areas, one of which is salaries and benefits. Based on this, a pay initiative targeting home care has been prioritised. Other areas include welfare technology, communication, new recruitment methods, education and career development, and working time organisation.

For example, the introduction period for new employees is being extended from two days to two weeks. Other examples include new welfare technology solutions such as medication robots, digital home visits, and night cameras; new recruitment methods; strengthened internal and external communication; benefits such as driving licence support, wellness initiatives, and health promotion budgets; as well as working time and training initiatives.

“The Best Thing About the Job is Making a Difference”

One of those affected is Jörgen Larsson, who has worked in home care for 25 years. He began his career as an electrician but chose to retrain as an assistant nurse.

“I really enjoy it. The best thing about the job is being able to help people and make a difference in their everyday lives,” he says. He emphasises that investment in staff is crucial – not only through higher pay but also through other measures.

“Our employees included in this year’s extra pay initiative do an amazing job. They meet residents with care needs in their homes, based on their unique needs and circumstances, which places high demands on, among other things, their approach and knowledge,” says Ingela Arngren. “We need to create good conditions; this is crucial both for the work environment and for the quality of care.”

Plans for what the initiative will look like in 2026 are currently underway.