How HR can influence the supply of skills

Nov 7, 2025
4 min read

Competency provision is more than recruitment. For HR managers in industrial companies, it is about building an ecosystem where competence can grow, develop and remain. The article provides concrete examples of what HR can actually influence and how strategic efforts can make a difference over time.

What happens when the best candidates don't even apply?

HR managers are often faced with complex challenges, but there are also great opportunities for HR to take the lead on the skills issue. By focusing on what can actually be influenced, HR can help build a skills ecosystem that lasts over time. It's about taking the initiative, creating structures and strengthening relationships that make the company attractive both today and tomorrow.

Skills supply is more than recruitment

Competency supply has long been a central concept in HR, but as industrial companies face rapid technological shifts, increased sustainability requirements and demographic changes, the issue has gained new weight. It is no longer enough to recruit the right person for the right position – the future of HR work is about building an ecosystem where competence can grow, develop and remain.

From recruitment to ecosystem thinking

Many companies in the manufacturing industry and subcontracting have traditionally seen skills provision as an operational recruitment issue. However, research from Jönköping University, among others, shows that the companies that are most successful in securing skills over time have a broader perspective. They see skills provision as a strategic effort that involves the entire organization and often also actors outside it.

Building long-term relationships

An ecosystem approach means that HR focuses not only on filling empty seats, but on creating conditions for learning, development and long-term attractiveness. This can involve building relationships with local education providers, offering internships, participating in industry initiatives or creating internal programs for skills transfer between generations.

In practice, this means that HR needs to work on both short-term and long-term initiatives. In the short term, this can involve identifying skills gaps and offering targeted training. In the long term, it is about building a culture where learning is a natural part of everyday life and where employees see their future within the company.

What HR can actually influence with skills supply

Within skills supply, there are several areas where HR has a direct impact:

Internal knowledge transfer: By creating mentoring programs where senior employees share their experience with younger colleagues, companies can both preserve valuable knowledge and strengthen relationships internally.
Attractive workplace: HR can actively work to create a culture that attracts both current and future employees. This includes everything from leadership and work environment to development opportunities and values.
Collaboration with educational stakeholders: By building relationships with polytechnics, universities and high schools, companies can influence educational content, offer internships and gain early contact with future talent.
Visibility in the region: Being active in local networks, participating in trade fairs and communicating the company's values and opportunities can make a big difference in how the company is perceived and thus how attractive it is as an employer.

A real-life example

Several industrial companies have already started thinking along these lines. One example is Scania, which has worked for several years with structured mentoring programs to transfer knowledge from experienced employees to younger colleagues. The result is not only increased competence but also stronger commitment and lower staff turnover.

Other companies are collaborating with polytechnics to offer short, targeted training courses that match their needs. This provides both rapid skills development and strengthens the links between education and working life.

The HR of the future is strategic

Skills supply is no longer a question of filling gaps, it is a strategic key to securing competitiveness, innovation and long-term growth. For HR, it means a shift from operational to strategic work, where efforts extend far beyond the recruitment process.

By focusing on what can be influenced and thinking in terms of ecosystems rather than individual measures, HR managers in industrial companies can take an active role in shaping the future of working life.

HR plays a crucial role

Building a sustainable talent ecosystem requires more than one-off efforts, it requires a long-term commitment where HR plays a crucial role. By taking initiative, creating collaboration and driving development, HR managers can become the force that moves the organization from reactive recruitment to proactive talent strategy. Talent supply is not an isolated process, it is a continuous effort that permeates the entire business and that starts with daring to think bigger than the individual position to be filled. What first step can you take today?