Unemployment has remained at a steady level in Sweden in the last year but the disparity between people born abroad and born in the Nordic country remains high, and a record number of foreigners are now registered with the Swedish Public Employment Service (Arbetsförmedlingen).

In its most recent monthly statistics, Arbetsförmedlingen revealed that as of July 2017 unemployment was at 7.3 percent – the same as July 2016.

 

Breaking the numbers down according to where job seekers were born shows a disparity however: unemployment among those born in Sweden was 3.9 percent, while it was 21.8 percent for those born abroad.

 

And as of July there were a record 76,561 people registered in the agency’s Introduction Programme (Etableringsuppdraget) for unemployed foreigners compared to 59,362 a year before. The programme involves creating a plan tailored to each individual newcomer to the country according to their work experience and education in order to equip them for further education or work.

 

“Many lack an education that is viable in the Swedish labour market. At the same time, too few are choosing to study during their time in the Introduction Programme. As such, it’s important that we can motivate more to choose an education that can lead to employment,” Arbetsförmedlingen head analyst Annika Sundén said in a statement.

 

In April, the office of Sweden’s Minister for Employment and Integration Ylva Johansson told The Local that providing newcomers with the tools to establish themselves in the Swedish labour market through schemes like the Introduction Programme will be key to their integration.

 

“Integration means people coming to Sweden being given the right conditions to establish themselves within and become a part of Swedish society. It’s about having respect for basic Swedish values and also having the right opportunities to establish yourself in Swedish society. The chance to learn the language and start working,” Johansson’s press secretary Natalie Sial explained at the time.

 

More here.