Shortage of mathematics teachers continues in Sweden

Stockholm – Shortage of teachers in mathematics in upper secondary and compulsory schools continued this year in Sweden, authorities said Monday.

The situation of supply was worse in recent years, Xinhua cited from a Labour Market Tendency Survey conducted by Swedish Central Statistics Bureau (SCB) for 2013.

Figures also showed that employers in Sweden still had difficulty in finding either newly graduated or experienced teachers in mathematics and nature sciences.

Shortage of other types of trained teachers such as preschool teachers, leisure time childcare workers, technology and healthcare had also been reported by the employers according to the survey, said SCB in a statement.

However, employers were optimistic about the supply of applicants who had received education in social sciences and engineering, apart from a number of fields like engineering in construction.

Labour Market Tendency Survey 2013 is a survey th! at provides information on the current labour market situation and its future prospects for the coming years for 71 educational programmes in Sweden.