Response to interpellation 2023/24:245 on the employment rate of foreign-born women
Translated from Swedish by AI; the translation may contain errors. The Swedish text is the original.
Summary AI, written in advance
The debate concerns increasing the employment rate of foreign-born women. L argues that it is a priority issue where the individual's circumstances, such as Swedish language skills and education level, are crucial 1 2. L emphasizes the education, work, and effort line, as well as that establishment jobs are now in place 3. L argues that extra services were phased out because they did not lead to regular jobs. S argues that foreign-born women need support and individually tailored establishment programs to achieve economic independence 4. S emphasizes the importance of previous extra services and expresses concern that these have been removed and that the government does not clearly prioritize the commission's proposals 5 6.
Written by AI in advance and may contain errors. The numbers lead to the speech a statement builds on; check against the text below.
Arbetsmarknads- och integrationsministern Johan Pehrson (L)
Madam Speaker! I have been asked if I intend to take any initiatives in light of the proposals that have emerged in the investigation's partial reports. I assume that Sofia Amloh refers to the partial report Establishment for more - Equal opportunities for integration (SOU 2023:24) which comes from the Investigation on an improved labor market establishment for foreign-born women (Ju 2022:05).
Increasing the employment rate of foreign-born women is a priority for the government. Today, far too many foreign-born people, especially women, are far from the labor market and without their own income. Consequently, they are left without a real possibility of freedom, to independently shape their lives and to participate in society. This has consequences not only for the individual woman but also for her family and, in the long run, for society as a whole. People who come to Sweden should not get stuck in unemployment and long-term dependence on social assistance or other benefits.
The Government decided in June 2023 to send out the partial report for consultation to relevant authorities, organizations, municipalities and other stakeholders. The time for the consultation bodies to submit their responses expired on 15 November. Preparation is now ongoing within the Government Offices. The Government will return with an announcement on how the proposals in the partial report will be handled.
Sofia Amloh (S)
Madam Speaker! Johan Pehrson's answer is correct. It is precisely that investigation I am referring to. There are not many other investigations in the area.
One of the six gender equality goals is economic equality. It is fundamental that women have a job to go to in order to achieve economic independence. But it is not a guarantee. To achieve economic equality, more factors play a role.
A large proportion of those who have been without work for more than 24 months are foreign-born women with a short educational background. These are people who most often want nothing more than to go to a job. But they need support and a number of measures to get into work. It is incredibly important. To break the segregation and increase equality, we need to get foreign-born women into work. It gives them power and freedom to decide over their own lives.
We Social Democrats had measures that we called extra services, which were primarily aimed at foreign-born women. It has been a very important tool to lift people out of long-term unemployment and give them a chance to get a job and their own livelihood. Half of the extra services were aimed at just foreign-born women. These women were given, through the extra services, the opportunity to move from isolation at home to something meaningful, a meaningful occupation.
The foreign-born women often play a very large role in the family and in the vulnerable residential areas. They do an incredible amount and have a great impact on society and on the children and youth in the areas. It is important that it is precisely they who are the role models who go to a job, to an occupation, and get their own money in the account. These are important steps into the labor market.
Now there are several proposals on the Council of State's table that demonstrate the need for a more ambitious and more structured, content-rich and individually tailored establishment program. But it should not be limited to the establishment program but should characterize the entire active labor market policy.
One of the proposals is that the length of the establishment program shall be governed by the need. It is about the individual person. A longer period in an establishment program may be needed to gain a foundation and enter the labor market.
Given that the Minister says it is a priority issue for the government and for the Minister, I wonder if these proposals will become a reality or not. Or is there any of the proposals that the Minister is looking particularly at?
Arbetsmarknads- och integrationsministern Johan Pehrson (L)
Madam Speaker! To begin with, I am pleased when I hear the word individual in this interpellation debate. We are not talking about a collective, but about people who have very different backgrounds and circumstances but who are often lumped together as foreign-born women. They are women who have completely different circumstances at home. They are exposed to honor norms to different degrees, and they are educated to different degrees in their youth and childhood. They are very different. That is why it is important that this breathes individual.
I do not want and am not allowed to anticipate and tell exactly how I will take this further. It will be a bit like on Christmas Eve, Madam Speaker. The Riksdag must endure. The Government will return with a decision. But one must not open and look at door 24 in one's advent calendar just yet, and I may not open the doors that I find very interesting. But let me still give you a small rhyme, so that you can almost guess. I usually make my own, very bad rhymes that reveal what is in the door.
It is very much about the individual, about focusing on getting into Swedish language instruction. There, there are both opportunities and many demands. It is clear that one is expected to learn Swedish in Sweden. After that, one is expected to contribute and strive hard to receive an education and take an interest in society in general.
This week, I presented the measures we are now taking so that SCB and Boverket can map the vulnerability that exists. If Swedish language skills are poor, if self-sufficiency is low, if the education level is low, and if one has a very weak anchoring in what we call civil society—that which has built this country strong and constitutes the incredibly wonderful Sweden that we love—then measures can be taken early. It will be included.
One must also take into account that it looks different in this group of women. They are individuals. Many women, unlike men, come here through family reunification. In that case, one also has different circumstances when it comes to freedom. But it is important that we establish early on that women and men have the same obligations and rights according to the Swedish constitution. The woman must quickly realize that she, just like all other women in Sweden, has the right here to be a completely independent individual. That is what should be focused on in the establishment. There are interesting proposals there. I do not dare to go any further than that.
Sofia Amloh (S)
Madam Speaker! I have always been the one to sneak a peek at my Christmas presents, and I have found it incredibly difficult to wait until the 24th. Thus, I have looked at the gaps in the calendar several times. But I am positive that the Minister is still treating us so early in December.
Of course, the individual plays a role. We need to look at the individual. The only way to get the individual to join a collective is if we can get the individual to feel that they are growing, contributing, and are part of something larger. Therefore, this is important here.
I am still a bit worried. The extra services were clearly aimed at foreign-born women. There was a clear target group in the statistics of the long-term unemployed. But the government has removed the extra services. They no longer exist. The subsidized employments that exist are primarily aimed at and awarded to men. They are the subsidized employments that exist. As if this were not enough, we have seen that the government in the regulatory letter to Arbetsförmedlingen has removed that there should be a focus on just foreign-born women. There is no indication that they are to be a priority for the government.
Now, the Minister does not want and cannot anticipate the results of the investigation too much, but it has nevertheless been announced that the a-kassa will be included in the spring's list of government bills. Even here, there is an opportunity to promise necessary investments. But since I have not heard that the Minister intends to do anything, my questions and my concern remain. It will be a product with proposals that have been out for consultation, just as the Minister says. The consultation responses that have come in have been positive. Many stand behind the proposals and believe in them. They believe that the proposals will play a major role. The proposals are not so incredibly extensive, but they are about clear, targeted measures that can play a major role for the target group.
If the Minister intends to present proposals during the spring, I think the wording should be polished a bit before the next submission.
Arbetsmarknads- och integrationsministern Johan Pehrson (L)
Madam Speaker! Yes, look at the calendar; all these children! It must be admitted that I too have done it. It stands 1-1!
I want to mention that there is a special initiative, together with SKR, to provide support for open preschools. Let me speak plainly: There are many women who are tied up in the family context, and they have difficulty absorbing such things as I believe we should strengthen, namely the increased requirements to learn Swedish and participate in SFI. If one has come to Sweden, there is no other alternative than to learn Swedish. I have nevertheless noted a welcome shift in position from the Social Democrats, who have made amends with the last 20 years of policy in the area of integration.
When these women with their children visit the open preschool, one can reach out to them via MVC, BVC, and the social services to strengthen their conditions for establishment, for example by learning Swedish. This often happens in cooperation with SFI in the municipality. In the open preschool, the broad power from regions and social services in the municipalities is gathered to support and help the women toward more empowerment.
The driving force should be that it pays to work, that one gets a chance to move forward instead of ending up in a vicious circle of public compensations in the form of benefit dependency. There, the requirement of work as a counter-performance to receive social assistance is completely crucial. It should have been in place in every Swedish municipality for the last 20 years. Then Sweden would have looked different. If there had been requirements for Swedish for citizenship, Sweden would also have looked different. Driving forces in the form of help and support, requirements and good opportunities are important.
I understand the desire to quickly implement what the referral bodies have expressed positive views on. But I have been fully occupied with getting the establishment jobs in place. It still took the Social Democrats five or six years to develop them, but now we have got them in place. Now they are an important part of a subsidized employment where the Swedish parties want and will take a major role. The parties are fully occupied with all sorts of things, but they have the puck. Now they truly get a chance to make contributions, not least through the labor market units in the municipalities.
We have chosen to phase out the extra services because they were not focused on leading to regular work. The great merit of the establishment jobs is that the focus is that one should transition to the regular labor market. But for many of the women, it is necessary to be strengthened as individuals, learn the Swedish language, and then undergo a certain basic education. It is the only path to freedom, empowerment, and to contribute as a nation-builder in Sweden.
Sofia Amloh (S)
Madam Speaker! Both the Minister and I probably share the trait of being curious. For that, I am happy and positive. But what sets us apart is perhaps the eagerness, the hunger to change, and the patience. I have a bit less patience, and I think that when good things come to the table, one should act quickly, especially when it is something that plays a major role. The Minister seems to have a bit more patience and a desire to drag this out, even though it is a priority.
These proposals that the investigation has put forward require many efforts. We Social Democrats are prepared to equip people at the individual level they find themselves at in order to be able to take a job. It is about different steps, efforts, and time. We believe that they should be made because it is the best investment we can make.
We commissioned the investigation, which has now submitted its proposals. What we also did during our time in government was to halve the establishment time. At the end of the previous parliamentary term, we saw a trend where long-term unemployment for foreign-born women decreased. The idea from our side was to use the proposals from the investigation to gear up the work a bit more.
I am still worried. I do not hear the Minister of State say that there is an intention to tackle these proposals. It is a meager Christmas present, so I suppose I shall have to return after Christmas.
Arbetsmarknads- och integrationsministern Johan Pehrson (L)
Madam Speaker! Yes, we will see what we get for Christmas presents when the Chamber, the Riksdag, and the Government finally get some Christmas holiday. But we must remember then that we are privileged people. There are many people who are having a hard time in Sweden.
The path to independence, autonomy, and increased self-determination only goes through the education line, the work line, and a third line: the work-hard-line. There is no path where anyone other than myself can solve my problems, regardless of where I am. We must expect that, otherwise we do not have the resources to help those people who have disabilities or are affected by illness or old age and need help and support. It is important that we focus hard on the education line, the work line, and the effort line.
The government that introduced the establishment system, which has been partially adjusted, moved it from the municipalities to Arbetsförmedlingen to focus on work. It happened to be the Liberalerna, listen and be amazed, who were then talking about the work line. I agree that it was very important.
Now, migration and the people who come to our country and have the right to stay have partially changed in character and scope. I have understood that we in the government are quite in agreement with the Social Democrats that this is necessary. But it means that it may be other people who come with more of a relationship to Arbetsförmedlingen for establishment.
Then it is important to look at the referral responses, but it takes time to compile and consider them. Then I shall negotiate it and do what I can to constantly strengthen the education line, the work line, and the effort line.
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.