The summer staffing is often a challenge. To attract young people to home care, several municipalities have started using new recruitment methods.
Employing young people to drive epa-tractors has become more common, says Sabina Joyau at the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (SKR).
There is no statistics on how many municipalities use epa-youth in home care.
But according to Sabina Joyau, national coordinator for elderly care at SKR, it has become more common since last summer.
Municipalities have been inspired by each other and this year I know that more have started with the same concept.
Competing with mining jobs
In February, SKR organized a seminar where several municipalities shared their experiences of employing young people with epa-tractors, or A-tractors as they are actually called. The interest was great with over a hundred participants from different municipalities in Sweden.
Smaller municipalities in rural areas have it harder with summer recruitment. Especially in northern Sweden where many compete with summer jobs in mines and the green transition, says Joyau.
But now Sweden's municipalities have become more creative in their recruitment process.
Some have started marketing on TikTok, where we know that young people get their information. In Umeå, I know that they have had pizza evenings at the university and we see that epa-driven youth have become an important target group for recruitment. This year, fewer municipalities are experiencing difficulties with summer recruitment.
"Went very fast"
Eda in Värmland is one of the municipalities that offer young people to drive epa-tractors in service.
We saw that other municipalities did it and felt that we wanted to try the same thing, says Jeanette Widsjön, area manager for the staffing center in Eda municipality.
It was not difficult to find young people. It went very fast and has clearly facilitated the recruitment process. Moreover, the elderly think it's fun to meet these young people. They also bring a completely new energy to the workgroup. At the same time, they get a first job and an insight into the profession.
An A-tractor is a rebuilt car that, according to the law, should not be able to drive faster than 30 kilometers per hour.
Since 2019, the number of A-tractors has more than doubled. At the end of 2023, there were nearly 57,000 A-tractors registered in Sweden.
To drive an A-tractor, you need a moped license (AM-card) or a tractor license. The age limit for obtaining an AM-card is 15 years and for a tractor license 16 years.
At the beginning of the year, the EU Parliament voted for a proposal to raise the age limit for A-tractors from 15 to 16 years in the future.
The proposal also involves requirements for a B1 driver's license and that the speed limit is increased to 45 kilometers per hour.
Sources: The Government, The Swedish Transport Agency, Trafa
