Since 2024 I have been researching the social dynamics surrounding the establishment of one of the most prominent European battery manufacturers in Skellefteå, Sweden. I have interviewed almost 40 people, from civil servants, former Northvolt employees and their family members, to workers at non-profit organisations supporting marginalised groups.
Between 2022 and 2024 the job market in Skellefteå was booming and the unemployment rate was at a record low. Yet, according to my interviewees, people with disabilities and those experiencing neurodivergence were not being employed by Northvolt. This reality is in stark contrast with the EU´s declaration that the green transition should be just and inclusive.
