Response to interpellation 2022/23:210 on measures to get more foreign-born women into work

Arbetsmarknads- och integrationsministern Johan Pehrson (L)

Madam Speaker! Teresa Carvalho has asked me what proposals I and the government have so that more foreign-born women can enter the workforce, what assessment we make of the cost development for the municipalities' maintenance support when one chooses to reduce resources for labor market policy programs, and if I intend to take any initiatives in this regard. Furthermore, Teresa Carvalho has asked me how I assess that the cuts to the labor market policy programs will affect the group of foreign-born women and if I intend to take any measures.

Today, far too many foreign-born people, especially women, stand far from the labor market, without their own income and thus without a real opportunity for freedom to independently shape their lives and establish themselves on the labor market.

Everyone who can work shall do so. The Government is working to increase both the incentives and the drivers for foreign-born people, especially women, to move from benefits to work and in this way reduce exclusion and become a part of the Swedish labor market. This leads, in the long run, to self-sufficiency and empowerment to shape one's life and one's own economy.

The parliamentary-bound gender equality goal is that women and men shall have the same power to shape society and their own lives, and in some cases, significantly better incentives are needed for newly arrived women to enter the workforce. A special investigator has therefore been tasked with producing proposals for measures aimed at improving the establishment of foreign-born women in the labor market (dir. 2022:42).

Knowledge of the Swedish language is crucial for newcomers to be able to establish themselves in the labor market. The teaching in SFI should be reviewed with the aim of being strengthened. The work of directing more people to regular studies shall continue, and in the budget bill for 2023, the government has proposed that adult education should be strengthened to counteract unemployment.

The Government assesses that there is room for streamlining of the labor market policy. By prioritizing cost-effective measures that are close to the workplace and that contribute to a high level of job-seeking activity, the appropriation for labor market policy programs and measures can be reduced in 2023.

Despite a reduction in the appropriation for labor market policy programs and measures, there is room for a continued increase in measures relative to current levels with a focus that meets the challenges in the labor market. It is about matching services, labor market training, and that more people should be able to participate in work placements.

The reduction of the appropriation for labor market policy programs does not affect the number of people who can receive activity support for their livelihood while participating in programs. Rather, the government budgets for a high number of participants in labor market policy measures even outside the framework programs.

Subsidized employments can - if correctly designed - have clear positive effects on the opportunities for establishment in the labor market, especially for the long-term unemployed and newcomers. The proportion of new-start jobs and introductory jobs that go to women has increased compared to 2021. The increased number of women consists in nine out of ten cases of foreign-born women. Taken together, the increase in the proportion of women in the subsidies indicates that the phasing out of extra services has largely been compensated for by other subsidized employments for women.

In the longer term, the four coalition parties in the Tidö Agreement have agreed to work towards ensuring that a major subsidy reform is implemented during the mandate period, which, among other things, aims to improve incentives for people to enter employment and thereby push back exclusion.

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Teresa Carvalho (S)

Madam Speaker! Tomorrow is International Women's Day, and unfortunately, we see that economic inequality is increasing for the first time in a very long time.

Few policy areas affect equality as much as labor market policy, and we can state that there are both reasons for joy and clouds of concern. Sweden is at the top within the EU when it comes to women's employment rate and labor force participation. But we also have an all too high long-term unemployment, especially among foreign-born women with a short educational background.

Since we simultaneously have a high demand for labor, we Social Democrats conclude that more education and other individualized support measures are needed to bring these women closer to the labor market and ultimately into jobs and self-sufficiency. But the government and the Sweden Democrats choose, on the contrary, to cut adult education and active labor market policies by billions of kronor at the same time as we enter a recession.

Against this background, I have asked the Minister for Employment and Integration what the government intends to do so that more foreign-born women can enter the workforce. What answer did I just receive read out? Yes, in the long term, there are thoughts about a subsidy reform. Why the government is not starting it now is not apparent. Otherwise, there was nothing concrete about new reforms. Most things are to continue as before but with fewer resources. This non-answer, I think, is quite symptomatic.

Those who follow Johan Pehrson on social media have had to witness both pizza baking and semmel fika, but political action to get more people into work is simultaneously conspicuous by its absence. On November 18, the Minister for Employment nevertheless made a post where he declared that in his new role he intends to place extra focus, yes even his wholehearted focus, on foreign-born women who have fallen behind in the labor market. So judge my surprise when I read the regulatory letter to Arbetsförmedlingen and found that the Minister for Employment has now, on the contrary, erased just that guidance. It did not become more goals or sharper guidance, as one can expect from an extra focus, but instead the previous writings have disappeared.

I naturally fully agree with the Minister for Employment's conclusion in the entry from November 18, that a special focus is needed on foreign-born women and their opportunities to become self-sufficient and find work, because it is a group that has fallen behind in the labor market and because we see in the follow-up that the group has received disproportionately little support from Arbetsförmedlingen.

Madam Speaker! I would like to ask Minister for Employment and Integration Johan Pehrson to clarify how he intends to focus "wholeheartedly" on foreign-born women when he simultaneously removes the goals and wording that steer towards exactly that from the regulatory letter to the responsible authority.

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Arbetsmarknads- och integrationsministern Johan Pehrson (L)

Madam Speaker! Long-term unemployment is a terrible scourge that has bitten hard into society during the years you are to take responsibility for, Teresa Carvalho. This applies to Norrköping and all of Sweden. It has eaten its way in and taken away people's life chances and women's empowerment.

The date March 8 is about us continuing to work for women's right to freedom and liberation in all ways. This applies not least to the women who are in the long-term unemployment that has become entrenched, which is at an enormously high level. It often concerns women born outside of Europe who have immigrated to Sweden.

This is because one has not done what one is now saying. I am incredibly happy when the Social Democrats in opposition wake up and come up with refreshing proposals to increase the requirements for establishment allowance and to increase the requirements for counter-performance for social assistance. We went to the election, and won the election, on the basis of caring about people. To set requirements is to care, to provide help and support.

Furthermore, we shall look at how SFI functions broadly. Regarding the women who have not learned Swedish, despite Social Democratic genius work over eight years, we shall not cry over spilled milk, but we shall do what we can to help them now. Therefore, we have doubled the state grant for yrkesvux, that is to say, working with Swedish and working at the same time in order to eventually, sooner or later, enter regular employment.

We are increasing the requirements for Arbetsförmedlingen to refer to labor market training. Gender equality integration is fully included in this. We set requirements for increased mobility. In the previous interpellation debate, it was stated nicely that people should receive help and support out in life between the houses. It is about people. That is why we invest in women's organizing. Instead of complaining about men who control the women, we can ensure that women get help to organize themselves. Furthermore, it is about investing in meaningful leisure time for youth. This affects women who not infrequently, rightly or wrongly, have a great responsibility for the family and the children but who otherwise are controlled.

We are doing this now because we believe it is possible to go further. If one came to Sweden one, two, three, four, five, six, seven or eight years ago, it is time today, if one has not done so already, to learn Swedish and receive help and support to enter work practice or vocational adult education, which is now being heavily invested in.

There are no Social Democratic extra services, but it has now been pointed out that there are a lot of other subsidized services. Soon the establishment jobs will come, and they can lead to an increased focus not only towards health and care in the public sector but also towards industry. That is good.

I do not belong to those who bark at all the attempts that have been made. Good attempts have been made, but I note that it is now that the Social Democrats want to set demands - and I welcome that.

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Teresa Carvalho (S)

Madam Speaker! I begin by stating that the Minister has no good answer as to how he is to focus wholeheartedly on getting more foreign-born women into work while simultaneously removing the goals that we had in the Employment Service's regulatory letter. He is removing what was in the regulatory letter. Furthermore, I remind you that he is cutting back on active labor market policy and on adult education by billions of kronor.

The Minister speaks here about increased requirements and says that he is pleased that we Social Democrats have woken up in opposition - that we now see that requirements need to be placed on people. I want to be clear and remind the Minister for Employment that we Social Democrats turned several knobs at the same time when we sat in government during the previous mandate period. We increased both the support and the requirements. Among other things, we introduced a duty of education for newcomers who need it. We made the establishment measures an obligation, not just a right - as the previous Alliance government did. It was we who initiated the activity requirement within the subsistence support. We shall see if the current government fulfills this. We Social Democrats believe that both support and requirements are needed, but the government is fixated on the requirements and is lowering the support. We think that is wrong.

Let me go back to my question about the regulatory letter and the foreign-born women. I do not intend to give in here, but it is Johan Pehrson who is to answer the questions.

How does Johan Pehrson place a wholehearted focus on getting more foreign-born women into work when he removes the direction from the regulatory letter? How is the responsible authority supposed to understand that Johan Pehrson wants more focus, not less focus, when he removes the wording that existed previously? How is it that Johan Pehrson so casually changed sides on the direction of the labor market policy? First it was clear, and now we hear nothing. It is also not visible in the regulatory letter. Could it perhaps be that there is a connection to the Sverigedemokraterna writing a committee motion to the labor market committee with proposals that the government should review and, in the long run, phase out what they call separate solutions based on country of birth?

Now everyone understands that is not how it works, that is to say, different measures based on which country one is born in. But it cannot be interpreted in any other way than that what the Sverigedemokraterna are after is that resources and measures should not be allocated to foreign-born people, even though it is many times the exact same measures that are also directed at other long-term unemployed.

I can state that Johan Pehrson in November concluded that the most effective way to combat long-term unemployment is to ensure that more foreign-born women enter the workforce. That is where the focus should lie. But then he has obviously shifted, probably on the order of the Sweden Democrats.

I think this is a betrayal of the foreign-born women in our country, who will likely find it harder to get into work, that is, self-sufficiency. It is the basis for freedom and equality. But it is not only a betrayal of those women, it is a betrayal of all of Sweden when the government does not do everything it can to break the segregation that tears our country apart in order to instead increase equality.

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Arbetsmarknads- och integrationsministern Johan Pehrson (L)

Madam Speaker! For eight years, the gaps have deepened, and for eight years, long-term unemployment has taken hold among numerous groups. But the largest group is foreign-born women. It is they who are long-term unemployed.

That is why there is a special investigation which, according to the directives, looks at what it is that causes women not to learn at SFI or enter the labor market. These are people who have come to our country one, two, three, or four years ago – and you have looked at them and hoped that it will probably turn out well. Then you push very hard on the fact that there should be new requirements for people to move or provide a counter-performance in order to receive subsistence support or establishment allowance. I think that is good, and I am happy to participate in that work. But this is a somewhat late awakening. Now we must ensure that this becomes a reality, and it is good if there is support.

The Social Democrats must nevertheless understand this: to govern with good intentions, not to be ruled by any other party - I hope. I would never come up with the idea of insinuating that the Social Democrats were ruled by the Green Party. It could not happen that identity politics and oddities ruled the Social Democrats when the Green Party sat in the government. How uncomfortable to say it as it is - we shall not do that!

Now it is a question of foreign-born women. But I will say that foreign-born women is a broad concept. It can be American women, Brazilian women or Canadian women - it looks different - and there are Belgian and Finnish women. We know that it concerns countries outside of Europe, and that needs to be met in different ways.

Here there are women who have immigrated to Sweden from Syria, Ethiopia or Somalia. We know that the conditions for helping them with practical integration and establishment on-site in a municipality look different. But we have an investigation that we are now changing a little bit to get clearer measurable parts to see what it is that has not worked.

I do not distrust the Social Democrats. I have no other belief than that you well mean well. But it is stomach-turning with this tone when you leave behind a Sweden that has enormous integration problems and where the separatists are eating their way in. The separatists have entered elected assemblies. We just had a debate on crime in the working life. We have an exclusion that torments people and robs them of their freedom.

We are changing this now, and the most important thing, of course, is that people learn Swedish and get into work. 20 years ago, the Liberals stood in this chamber and said that we should learn Swedish in Sweden and that it is absolutely crucial. At that time, one was met with something else from the Social Democrats. It was largely something that evil had dragged in. But I am glad that the Social Democrats have cheered up in opposition.

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Teresa Carvalho (S)

Madam Speaker! Johan Pehrson has views on the tone from the Social Democrats when we point out that segregation is tearing our country apart and that more measures are needed to break the segregation and increase equality. I think it is quite bold, especially when the minister does not answer the concrete questions I ask about why the minister first points out that what is most effective to combat long-term unemployment in our country is to place extra focus on foreign-born women and then erases the writings that existed regarding exactly this in the regulatory letter.

It is completely wrong to claim that it is a late awakening on the part of the Social Democrats that we see that both requirements and support are needed for individuals. It is completely wrong given that we have implemented several reforms to increase both the requirements and the support.

I also want to remind that the establishment time has dropped significantly during the Social Democrats' time in government. The employment rate has gone up. So, not everything has been wrong. But I am the first to emphasize that long-term unemployment is too high. We are not satisfied, naturally not. More measures were needed.

That is why we are so incredibly critical that the government is cutting back on adult education and active labor market policy and now additionally removing the steering towards just this group in the regulatory letter to Arbetsförmedlingen. We can see that the steering we had yielded results. There were more women in labor market training when we included it in the regulatory letter. If the Minister for Employment now wants there to be extra focus on this group, why is that steering then being removed from the regulatory letter?

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Arbetsmarknads- och integrationsministern Johan Pehrson (L)

Madam Speaker! We may not need to prolong this, but I mean: The Social Democrats are in power. The largest group of long-term unemployed are foreign-born women.

We are now focusing on doing everything we can for them. We have a special investigation, and we are going to reduce long-term unemployment. All this that is being done for gender equality integration and all this that is being done in various places to ensure that it is easier to get into vocational colleges, at komvux and yrkesvux, and into labor market training, this is being done now. It is underway, partly because the Social Democrats themselves finally identified this. I welcome that.

Now the focus is on reducing long-term unemployment. If one does this, one cannot get around the fact that it is foreign-born women who are long-term unemployed. But I can say it ten times if it makes it easier for the Social Democrats to understand that long-term unemployed individuals are largely foreign-born women. I don't know if I should include a small dictionary with the regulatory letters to explain this with some statistics. If it makes it easier, I am happy to do so, because I do not want us to misunderstand each other in this area.

We may certainly have different opinions when it comes to implementing measures. I believe that regular education with workplace-based training or subsidized employment is better. Let us disagree where we disagree! But we want to do what we can to help foreign-born women into the labor market.

If you haven't come in after year one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, or eight, then it is time to do it now. That is Swedish, and that is work. It also requires a subsidy reform, but that is not finished yet. We are working on it. Many things we must do now are about handling the extensive inflation we have in Sweden which makes all people poor. The only ones who are compensated are people who study, pensioners, and people with pregnancy allowance. Ordinary wage earners are finding it harder. It is a huge challenge we have in this inflation economy – which also, I want to emphasize, is not solely the Social Democrats' fault, but which we must handle.

The interpellations debate was hereby concluded.

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