Psychologist and influencer Johanne Refseth asks on news Ytring and Instagram why the village doesn’t want her. She asks to be lured out into the countryside. And comes with a clear speech to District Norway: “Your social media accounts suck.” The short answer back to Johanne is: You are absolutely right! We are unable to tell you about all the possibilities. Most Norwegian municipalities, regions and employers are far too bad at marketing. We do not tell about interesting jobs. We fail to communicate the good reasons for applying to them. The job advertisements rarely convey what it is like to live here. And if you first come here, you won’t find any homes for rent on Finn. They are on the secret Facebook group Houses/bolig for rent in Omegn. In the neighboring Indoor Bandy group at school, you can find out about low-threshold training every Thursday. If you look carefully at the store, you will find the sheet that the mixed choir needs more voices. If you go to that choir practice: You will be well received! Before you know it, you’re invited to coffee with the whole gang. At the secret floorball club, it’s probably all about planning the next party. The following weekend, you are on a summit trip to the village’s proud mountain. And can end the evening with a prosecco in the neighbour’s hot tub. To April sun long into the night. It’s just as nice as it sounds. At the same time: The districts, at least Northern Norway, have so much more than mountains and nice people. Because on one point, Johanne is wrong: We don’t just need carpenters, shop managers or ski lift operators. Here in the north, there are other and bigger adventures that beckon. At Mo i Rana, Freyr is now building Norway’s largest battery factory. Andøya Space Port will soon open Northern Europe’s first satellite launch. Aker Horizons is planning several large green industrial projects in Ofoten. Just to name a few examples. And we don’t just need battery engineers, aerospace technologists and automation engineers. Right now Northern Norway needs everyone. Perhaps mostly doctors and nurses. Or car mechanics and construction case managers. Not to mention that you, as an academic, technologist or influencer, can of course take the job with you. If you’re really lucky, there’s even a coworking space where you can sit three days a week. You, who are a psychologist, can bring both a sleeping bag, husband and children north, Johanne. Here you can pick and choose between jobs. Finnmarkshykehuset has at least 10 vacancies for you. If you come here, the State cancels NOK 30,000 annually from the student loan. You get lower taxes. And free daycare. You also get a house: In Tana, you can buy a 236 square meter detached house with many bedrooms for NOK 3.4 million. As much as a 23.6 square meter apartment within ring 2 in Oslo. But when Johanne is wrong about the job market, it is not her fault. It’s because we who live out here, up north, over there, haven’t told her. Why is it like that? Many do not know how to do it. They may have a good story to tell, but can’t get it done. Some people don’t think so far as to think it’s time to try something else. Others may have tried something new once. And since they have tried a new thing, this one time, they have come to the conclusion that now, now they have tried everything. Without it working. So they go back to giving up. We also sit and wait for someone, also known as someone else, to fix it. The municipality was to create a website. The government should educate more people. More people should move out into the rural areas. And should we get the applicants, what do we do? Too many people completely forget to communicate with them. Before long after the deadline. When good people have got jobs elsewhere. Then I have not yet had time to talk about public administration with all its bureaucratic glories. Many businesses have such heavy framework agreements and self-imposed limitations that they either cannot, dare or do not want to try something new. Large parts of the health sector, which also has the biggest problems right now, are among those who have put themselves in this situation. Many municipalities, county councils and other parts of public administration do the same. It is not easy to be a part of the country that has a framework agreement to be invisible. Or to put it like Johanne Refseth: Agreement on social media accounts that suck camel’s balls. Because if one day “Ragnar på regsand” should get an idea to try something new, or do something exciting, or ask for help. Then you can be sure that there is a labyrinth he has to go through, where good ideas are sent in to die. But as I hope you have now understood, Johanne: We both want and need you in District Norway. You and everyone else can pick and choose jobs here. And if none of them tempt you: Maybe you can hold an occasional course for Ragnar in accounting, Harald in HR and Kari in communication? Welcome! Read the chronicle:
ttn-69
The village wants you! – Speech
