There has been great concern that employees with key competences are leaving the county councils, after it became clear that the counties are being split up again. The counties of Troms and Finnmark, Viken and Vestfold and Telemark have decided to split up. Linn Johnsen was an important part of the county council’s investment in the green shift. Half of the employees in her department have quit. 6 out of 12, Johnsen moved from a top job in the Ministry of Oil and Energy in Oslo to lead a new climate and energy network in Vestfold and Telemark County Municipality. A job she would never have taken, if she had known that the county was to be divided. – I would not apply for a job in such a small county today. There will be small professional communities, also smaller than other regions that have merged and chosen to remain merged, says Johnsen. Linn Johnsen already has good contact with his colleagues at his new office in Skagerak Energi. Photo: Solfrid Leirgul Øverbø / news Now she has gone to the private business world. The challenges of a new job beckoned, but it was the division of the county that gave motivation to look away. – I got an exciting job. But it is clear that the process was triggered by the fact that the county council was to split and that they then have to split the professional community, she says. Johnsen believes the county council is being weakened in her field. Now it’s back to the beginning, she says. – They have to rebuild. It will be a bit “stop and go”. Then things take longer in an area where we really have very little time. In addition to the climate section, the section for technology and digitization has lost a handful of employees. They are now recruiting five new employees there. Sorry for splitting the county Gunn Marit Helgesen (H) is not surprised if important expertise disappears from the county. – That was one of my points against splitting. Now we see the consequences of that. So it’s really just a matter of regret that that decision was made, she says. Gunn Marit Helgesen (H) in the county council in Vestfold and Telemark. Photo: John-André Samuelsen / news Helgesen believes there is reason to be concerned about the professional environment in the new county municipality. – While all other county municipalities are gearing up for the future, Vestfold and Telemark are being set many years back in time, she says. Sven Tore Løkslid (Ap) is also worried. He leads the new main committee that will build the new county of Telemark and finds that people he would have liked to have continued are leaving. – It is a challenge we have now. Especially in the climate area, we have lost very good, competent labour. Sven Tore Løkslid (Ap) is on leave from his job as county deputy mayor, to do the job of building the new Telemark county. Photo: Lars Tore Endresen / news – Attractive workplace Vestfold and Telemark county council believes that they have not experienced the skills flight many have feared. In the last six months, 355 employees have quit, the county council’s own figures show. 194 of them quit because they were in a temporary position. 61 employees have retired with AFP, old-age or disability pension. 95 employees have resigned, while 5 employees have quit for other reasons. In the same period, the county council has gained 222 new employees. – After going through these figures, the conclusion is that Vestfold and Telemark county council is an attractive place to work. We have few employees who leave, and we have good and qualified applicants for the positions we advertise, says Arve Semb Christoffersen in a written statement.
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– Would not apply for a job in such a small county – news Vestfold and Telemark – Local news, TV and radio
