Gothenburg welcomes its global talent
Gothenburg and West Sweden is an international region with people from all over the world coming here to work at its companies and universities. On 6 December, 200 foreign professionals and their families took part in the city’s 19th annual Expat Christmas Event. In total, over 40 countries and around 30 different companies were represented.
“This is a part of our workforce we don’t take for granted, they are important for both our companies and the region overall. We want to welcome and support them in their journey here. Hopefully, they have a great experience and become ambassadors for Gothenburg and West Sweden, no matter where they live in the future,” says Business Region Göteborg’s Helen Bairu.
Helen is an organiser of the Expat Christmas Event and is a development manager at Move to Gothenburg, an initiative which provides tools and activities that welcome and make it easier for skilled internationals who are moving to or living and working in the region.
“It’s a global labour market and competition for talent is very tough. At the same time, the region’s companies need the best possible talent to compete on the global stage. Many of our companies also strive for diversity amongst staff as it increases their creativity and innovative capacity,” says Helen Bairu.
Volvo, AstraZeneca, Spotify, Chalmers University of Technology and the University of Gothenburg are just a few of the employers who were represented by new international employees at the event.
The Expat Christmas Event is arranged by Business Region Göteborg in collaboration with Move to Gothenburg and the City of Gothenburg. Among other things it includes a mingle, Lucia concert and welcome speeches from among others, the Lord Mayor of Gothenburg, Anneli Rhedin.