Follow-up, tripwire for the Water Industry

The water sector is one of society's most critical but least visible industries. The Water Industry Skills Survey 2026 is the second time the question has been asked, and the results can be compared with the previous one for the first time. measurement in 2022. The picture is clear: The skills shortage still has concrete business consequences and in several respects the situation has worsened since 2022.

At the same time, the turnout is significantly higher than in 2022 – the response rate is 75 % (49 responses out of 65 members), compared to 51 % in 2022 (30 responses out of 59 members) – which strengthens the weight of the results.

Three conclusions that the Water Industry believes should be prioritized by the industry and decision-makers:

The shortage is still costly. 90% of respondents have had difficulty filling at least one position in the past year. The consequences are financial – abandoned bids, missed orders and lack of expansion – on par with 2022.
Experienced people are in demand – juniors are scarce. The need is greatest at mid- and senior levels but very low for juniors. This creates a structural bottleneck that is exacerbated by upcoming retirements.
Barriers to skills development have grown. Lack of time remains the biggest obstacle (78 % both years), but costs, difficulty finding training and concerns about losing staff have roughly doubled since 2022

Conclusions and recommendations
The comparison with 2022 gives a clear message: despite four years of attention, the skills shortage has not eased, and in several areas it has worsened. The consequences are already visible in abandoned deals. Four levers emerge, where responsibility is shared between the business community and the public sector:

Make the paths in more and clearer. Industry-wide marketing, internships, thesis projects and trainees. Since 76 % stop once they are inside, the challenge is about being discovered.
Build junior management consciously. Structured trainee and apprenticeship programs. Only 15% of companies currently offer traineeships, which means significant untapped potential ahead of upcoming retirements.
Use public procurement as leverage. Support for adapted procurement requirements has increased since 2022. Let public purchasers allow and reward junior resources and skills development in contracts.
Meet the digital skills boost. The need in cybersecurity, AI and automation is increasing fastest. Coordinate the needs of the sector and work for training places that match

Read the full report ”The state of expertise in the Swedish water sector”

Water industry Skills supply