Labour market

Director for Employment, Labour and Social Affairs at the OECD Stefano Scarpetta visited Sweden on Friday to discuss the Government’s reform for improved adaptability in the labour market. During his visit, Mr Scarpetta met with Minister for Employment and Gender Equality Eva Nordmark and representatives of the social partners.

This material provides an overview of the Government’s transition package to improve long-term flexibility, adaptability and security in the labour market. The proposals are based on an agreement between the Government and the Centre Party.

The Government has decided to further enhance agencies’ collaboration to combat organised crime. To this end, the Swedish Work Environment Authority, the Swedish Companies Registration Office, the Swedish Board of Student Finance and the Health and Social Care Inspectorate will be subject to an obligation to provide information.

The International Labour Organization (ILO) Governing Body elected Gilbert Houngbo as the ILO’s 11th Director-General on 25 March. Houngbo was most recently President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Prime Minister of Togo and Deputy Director-General of the ILO. Minister for Employment Eva Nordmark and Deputy Minister for Employment Johan Danielsson congratulate the new Director-General.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February, the number of people leaving Ukraine has increased rapidly. At a press briefing on 21 March, Minister for Employment Eva Nordmark and Minister for Integration and Migration Anders Ygeman reported on what applies on the Swedish labour market for people covered by the Temporary Protection Directive.

On 27 January 2022 the Government decided on a historic transition package to improve flexibility, adaptability and security in the labour market in the long term. The proposals are based on an agreement between the Government and the Centre Party.

Opinion piece by Minister for Education Anna Ekström and Minister for Employment and Gender Equality Eva Nordmark.

Minister for Employment and Gender Equality Eva Nordmark took part in a digital meeting with other EU gender equality ministers on Monday 31 January. At the meeting, Ms Nordmark presented the priorities of the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the EU in 2023 in this area.

The Government has decided to refer a proposal to the Council on Legislation on tightening and improving the current regulations on labour migration. These are the first of several coming proposed amendments to regulations on labour migration. The proposal referred to the Council on Legislation is intended to counter exploitation of labour migrants and to attract and retain international expertise and counter the expulsion of skilled workers.

In the Budget Bill for 2022, the Government proposes a reinforced jobs policy with new measures so that everyone can participate and take Sweden forward after the pandemic. These measures include providing more people with employment training, counteracting long-term unemployment, giving older jobseekers more time in new start jobs and introducing more unemployed people with disabilities to the working world.

Everyone has a right to a safe and secure work environment. A poor work environment should never provide a competitive advantage. Companies that deliberately contravene laws and regulations to gain competitive advantages create unhealthy competition in the labour market. In the Budget Bill for 2022, the Government proposes three measures to create security in the labour market and curb work-related crime.

On Monday, Minister for EU Affairs Hans Dahlgren and Minister for Employment Eva Nordmark met with French Minister of Labour, Employment and Economic Inclusion Élisabeth Borne and French Minister of State for European Affairs Clément Beaune. The aim of the meeting was to discuss various current issues, with a focus on the EU minimum wage proposal.

In this Communication, the Government presents its work environment strategy for 2021–2025. The work environment strategy sets out the Government’s long-term policy focus in this area over the next five years.

The work environment at every workplace has a major bearing on people’s living conditions and is key to a well-functioning and vigorous labour market. The Government has adopted a new work environment strategy with a continued high level of ambition for work environment policy.

On 22 February, Minister for Gender Equality and Housing Märta Stenevi took part in an informal video conference between EU employment, social affairs and gender equality ministers. Ms Stenevi participated in a discussion on the link between gender equality and the EU’s post-pandemic recovery.

The Government previously announced that turnover-based support for sole traders would be extended until the end of April 2021. Today, the Government can announce that in connection with the extension of the turnover-based support for sole traders, a possibility will be introduced for sole traders who have received unemployment benefit during the support period in their application and sole traders who have taken parental leave or sick leave during the reference period to also access the extended turnover-based support.

At Sweden’s initiative, several EU Member States gathered to discuss the Minimum Wage Directive. The meeting resulted in several Member States joining together to send a letter to the EU Presidency. In the letter, the ministers object to the way the issue has been handled, and suggest that a legally binding directive is not the right approach.

Today, Tuesday, Minister for Employment Eva Nordmark took part in a meeting with ILO Director-General Guy Ryder. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss issues such as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the labour market.

Several measures taken to support Swedish jobs and businesses through the crisis will be extended. These include short-term lay-offs, deferral of tax payments, reorientation support and turnover-based support to sole traders. The proposals are based on an agreement between the government parties, the Centre Party and the Liberal Party.