Almost after nurses, people with natural education are the biggest shortage in the Swedish labor market, according to Statistics Sweden's Labor Market Barometer, which came at the end of the year. Eighty-five percent of employers surveyed in the industry say that they see a shortage of newly qualified and 95% that they see a lack of professional experience.

- The differences that exist in the country are like "degrees in hell". At best, 7 out of 10 employers in a region or at worst 9 out of 10 see a shortage. The difference is the nuances of the same thing. There is no manpower available, says Anders Johannesson, project manager at LRF, who has followed the development for many years.

Sweden - more self-sufficient

Sofia Karlsson, chair of LRF Västra Götaland, confirms that the situation is difficult for the western Swedish farmers.

- We are a big agricultural country, so the need is huge here, she says.

The problem was highlighted in connection with the government's food strategy of 2017, which aimed, among other things, to make Sweden less dependent on imports and to a greater extent to be self-sufficient. Since then, the need for labor has become more evident for each passing year, according to Statistics Sweden's figures.

"Nightmare scenario"

The consequence of the shortage is that companies cannot grow at the rate they want.

The fact that the country's natural gymnasiums are growing is seen by industry representatives as a positive development. However, according to LRF, the need for post-secondary education and training of new professional categories, especially with a focus on technology.

- The nightmare scenario is that we are given political conditions for food production but that we are limited by the fact that we do not have access to well-trained labor, it would be very boring, says Sofia Karlsson.