When the company Sydvaranger Gruve AS announced its reopening, more than 1000 persons from all over Europe applied for jobs in the iron mine next to the Russian border, BarentsObserver reported. Surprisingly few of the applicants came from the local area.
So far, only 47 employees at Sydvaranger Gruve come from the Sør-Varanger municipality, news paper Finnmarken reports. The rest are settled elsewhere, most are commuters to southern parts of Norway, and some are even commuting to towns on the Finnish side of the border, 50 kilometers from Kirkenes.
Many people in Kirkenes fear that high house prices and high living expenses will prevent Sydvaranger workers to bring their families to Kirkenes and that barrack-like temporary quarters for workers will become a constant feature of the town. The municipality administration is taking measures to prevent this from happening. Several new plots are now being developed and new houses are being built. Kirkenes will also in a few years have a brand new elementary school.
People from 38 different countries are working in the company. The company’s administration and management have staff members from Norway, Sweden, Finland, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Iceland and Australia.
According to Managing Director Don Hunter, the company’s workforce will reach 350 within the end of 2009, but he does not rule out the possibility of hiring up to 500, if everything goes according to plan.
