In 2016, the government-funded Fast Track for Newly Arrived Teachers and Preschool Teachers programme was introduced in Sweden. The initiative stemmed from a shortage of teachers and preschool teachers alongside a relatively large number of educated and experienced teachers among newly arrived immigrants. This study uses both qualitative and quantitative data to present the participants’ … Continue reading
Nominal wage increases in Sweden have been unusually low in recent years, despite a strong outcome for the Swedish labour market. Several indicators point to demand for labour having exceeded supply, which according to the textbook should have led to higher wage growth. In this Commentary I show how survey- based indicators can have exaggerated … Continue reading
Over recent years, Sweden has made great strides in the development of its vocational education and training (VET) system. Work-based learning is better integrated, social partners are more engaged and the VET offer for adults has been developed. Opportunity exists however, for better co-ordination among stakeholders and changes in delivery to ensure the attractiveness of … Continue reading
In 2015 a record-breaking 162,877 asylum seekers entered Sweden, which along with Germany was the preferred destination for a wave of Syrians, Afghans, and others who reached European soil in search of protection and better lives. In response, the Swedish government introduced border controls, followed in mid-2016 by a highly restrictive asylum and reunification law—a … Continue reading
The Swedish VET system offers 12 national vocational programmes that aim at preparing students for the labour market and can be pursued through two different modes of delivery: the school-based scheme (skolförlagd utbildning) that includes compulsory in-company training, or apprenticeship education (lärlingsutbildning). The school-based and the apprenticeship schemes lead to the same vocational diploma (yrkesexamen) … Continue reading
We evaluate the relationship between immigrant and native employment using the Swedish administrative employer-employee linked LOUISE database. We find that if firms increase employment of immigrant workers by 10 percent, they increase employment of Swedish workers within the same occupation of the immigrants by 1.2-2.8 percent, and they increase employment of Swedish workers within other … Continue reading
Between 1963 and 2000 the labor force participation rate among males in the age group 60–64 in Sweden fell from around 85 to 55 percentage points. However, since then, the labor force participation has started to rise again and is now above 75 percent in the age group. Although the long term development for female … Continue reading
Refugee immigration to Sweden has been sizeable for a long time and reached an all times high in 2015 in terms of the number of asylum seekers. The numbers of granted residence permits for refugees have also been high in later years and can be expected to increase in the next few years due to … Continue reading
Since the late 1970s, wealthy Northern European countries have been popular destinations for both humanitarian and labor migrants. The EU accession of formerly communist Eastern European countries in the early 2000s led to a substantial increase in labor migration toward Northern Europe. Overall, these migrants have found it reasonably easy to find work and are … Continue reading
Eighty percent of Swedes express positive views about robots and artificial intelligence, according to a survey this year by the European Commission. By contrast, a survey by the Pew Research Center found that 72 percent of Americans were “worried” about a future in which robots and computers substitute for humans. In the United States, where … Continue reading
First session: “Opportunities for better labour market integration: Lessons from national experiences” During the session presentations of experiences from three Member States were delivered and discussed: Austria, Sweden and Germany. All the three countries are facing challenges of integrating refugees, even if the number of asylum applicants has substantially decreased since the peak year of … Continue reading
The Swedish asylum system—long one of the most efficient and generous in the world—faced an unprecedented challenge in the fall of 2015. As the number of refugees and migrants arriving in Sweden surged, processing times for asylum applications grew and emergency housing reached capacity. Schools struggled to enroll young newcomers, who made up nearly half … Continue reading
Where you live in Sweden can have a significant impact on your likelihood of being unemployed, the latest figures from national employment agency Arbetsförmedlingen show. While the unemployment rate for Sweden as a whole dropped to 7.8 percent in January 2017 compared to 8 percent a year prior, the agency’s stats show that the rate … Continue reading
In relation to its size, Sweden has long accepted more refugees than any other European country. So when over a million migrants came to Europe last year, with even more on their way this year, a large share sought asylum in Sweden. Attracted by Stockholm’s generous immigration policies, more than 160,000 migrants applied for refugee … Continue reading
The 40 hour work week for a full-time employee has been trimmed to 30 hours at some Swedish firms, and studies have found that the result is more productivity and better morale. Brath, an SEO specialist startup, shifted to six hour days three years ago. “The reason is that we actually care about our employees, … Continue reading