Precarisation of work for

youth in Sweden

Sweden – the Myth

• Strong employment protection legislation.

• Trade union influence over restructuring and

dismissals.

• Generous unemployment insurance system.

• Active labour market policy programmes helping the

unemployed get back to work.

Sweden – the Truth

• Few obstacles to dismissals for economic or organisational

reasons.

• Trade union influence concentrated on dividing the social cost, not

the dismissals as such.

• Unemployment insurance system on average European level.

• Spending on active labour market policy programmes on historical

low.

• Employers virtually free to use fixed-term instead of indefinite term

contracts – no objective ground needed.

Youth unemployment – risks

• Youth unemployment, age 18-24 year – 24 %

• Low or no education – long time unemployment

• Education or work experience - employment

The way forward?

• Intern- and traineeships

• Guidens to the labour market

• Link between school and working life

• Bridge between generations

Sweden – the Current Debate

• Employment protection legislation (EPL) temporarily off the

political agenda.

- Centre-right government does not consider EPL an obstacle to

growth and employment.

- Centre-left opposition does not believe that stricter EPL could ave

jobs.

- Social partners have not been able to reach agreement over

reforms of last-in-first-out order of priority.

• Political debate centered on the unemployment insurance and

active labour market policies.

Tack!

Thank you for your attention!

Legislation is semi-mandatory

• Most key provisions in the Swedish Employment

Protection Act are semi-mandatory - the law can be

deviated from by means of collective agreements, also

to insert provisions less favourable to the workers.

To have this effect, the collective agreement must have been

- entered into or approved by a trade union federation, or

- the local union and the employer already be bound by a

collective agreement regulating other subjects, entered into or

approved by a federation.