One of Dalarna's biggest challenges from a development and growth perspective is to manage the future supply of skills. Large establishments are imminent in the county; Northvolt, which is building a battery factory in Borlänge, expects to employ around 1,000 employees and Hitachi Ludvika up to 800 employees. In addition, the company Lyko in Vansbro is experiencing strong growth. There are thus great opportunities for young people to establish themselves in the labour market. But start-ups can also be seen as a risk factor, as they mean stiffer competition for the workforce for the many small and medium-sized enterprises. The recruitment base for employers in Dalarna thus needs to increase significantly. The Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth's latest survey "Companies' conditions and reality" aimed at small and medium-sized enterprises in Sweden, 2020 shows that access to suitable labour is considered to be the biggest obstacle to growth. In Dalarna, the proportion of companies that indicated this obstacle amounted to 34%, an increase from 24% in 2011. The study also revealed various obstacles to the recruitment of labour. More than 40% of companies in Sweden cited the right training as an obstacle to recruiting new employees. Furthermore, Sweden has a higher proportion of unemployed young people (aged 25-34) without upper secondary education than the EU average, 18% in the EU and 24% in Sweden. To compare with those who have completed upper secondary education which amounts to 9% in the EU and 6% in Sweden. The Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth's county-disaggregated statistics show that the willingness to grow in small businesses has decreased significantly during the period 2008-2020 in Dalarna to a level that is lowest in the country. In relation to other counties, few residents in Dalarna have a post-secondary education. In addition, the proportion of the population aged over 65 is clearly above the national average. Experience of projects conducted in the county is that companies in Dalarna refrain from growing because they see the opportunity to find the right skills as very small. Region Dalarna points to the county's major demographic challenges that result from fewer people having to support more and more people. Dalarna, along with Södermanland, has the highest demographic dependency ratio in the country. The reason is a combination of the fact that the number of older people who disappear from the labour market is higher than the number of young people who enter. The challenge is exacerbated by increased demands for knowledge in the workforce. The region of Dalarna also points to the imbalance in the labour market. Many employers need to hire but find it difficult to find the right skills, while many are outside the labour market and early school leaving is increasing. Dalecarlia is now in the final stages of the great generational change. At the same time as there is a disturbing imbalance between the number of people who leave the labour market and those who arrive, there are also demands for an ever-increasing knowledge content in the production of goods and services. This leads to ever-increasing qualitative challenges for the supply of skills. As skills requirements tighten, the inflow of new knowledge needs to increase and the level of education needs to be raised. The region of Dalarna points in particular to the low level of education of men as a major challenge. There are thus great opportunities for the county's young people to establish themselves on the labour market provided that they complete upper secondary education. However, Dalarna is in the bottom tier regarding pupils who leave compulsory school with eligibility for upper secondary school. The proportion of pupils with eligibility for upper secondary school varies between counties (ranging from 82 to 91%). For Dalarna County, the share was just under 84% in 2021. The proportion of persons qualified for upper secondary school in grade 9 differs slightly between girls and boys. The large differences are shown depending on the parents' level of education and for young people with a foreign background. For young people whose parents have a post-secondary education, the proportion of those with upper secondary education is 93%. To compare with 53% for those with parents with pre-secondary education. 90% of pupils born in Sweden finish the 9th grade with upper secondary school qualification, while only 62% of pupils born in a country outside the EU have upper secondary school qualification. For a more equal society, efforts are needed within schools that help to reduce these distortions. It is also the case that the proportion of young people leaving compulsory school without eligibility for upper secondary school is increasing. "Access to upper secondary school continues to differ greatly between different groups of students. Among other things, it is of great importance what educational background the