Response to interpellation 2023/24:52 on consequences for SIUS when appropriation 1:4 is redistributed
Translated from Swedish by AI; the translation may contain errors. The Swedish text is the original.
Summary AI, written in advance
L argues that the labor market policy needs to become more cost-effective as people with disabilities are overrepresented among the long-term unemployed 1. L advocates for an increase in the state's additional cost compensation to Samhall, reinforced administration grants for Arbetsförmedlingen 1 as well as subsidy ceilings to ensure that it always pays to work 2. L wants to lower taxes for everyone who works 2 and emphasizes the importance of using taxpayers' money wisely 3. L welcomes S's budget proposal as a steering document where people with disabilities can be prioritized 4. S hopes that more people will receive wage subsidies and SIUS-help 5 as people with disabilities deserve opportunities to enter the workforce 5.
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! Jim Svensk Larm has asked me whether the government has made any assessment of how the support for SIUS will change when the funds are redistributed. Furthermore, Jim Svensk Larm has asked me what measures I intend to take to ensure that more people with disabilities enter the workforce.
Unemployment and long-term unemployment are high despite a strong demand for labor since the pandemic. Labor market policy needs to be designed so that more people enter employment and so that it becomes more cost-effective. Persons with disabilities that entail reduced work capacity are overrepresented among those who get stuck in long-term unemployment. Creating better conditions for these individuals is therefore an important part of a more effective labor market policy. Here, Samhall, which we have just discussed, fulfills an important function.
Samhall currently has economic challenges, partly as a result of increased wage costs in combination with reduced demand for the company's services. To create improved economic conditions for Samhall's operations, the government proposes an increase in the state's additional cost compensation to Samhall in the budget bill for 2024. In the budget bill, the government has also signaled a review of the company's mandate, operations, and conditions.
To reduce unemployment among persons with disabilities, labor market policy measures and support are needed that can be adapted to the individual's circumstances and needs. Arbetsförmedlingen is an important actor in this context with its toolbox of measures for job seekers, including measures specifically targeted at persons with disabilities such as wage subsidies and SIUS.
The supplement to Samhall is primarily made possible through a redistribution of funds for wage subsidies. Despite the reduction in funds for wage subsidies, it is estimated that there will be room for an increased number of wage subsidies compared to current levels. The room for SIUS is not judged to be affected by the proposed redistribution within the appropriation. It is also estimated that there will continue to be room to increase the support for SIUS.
Furthermore, the budget bill for 2024 proposes an increase of Arbetsförmedlingen's administrative grant by 200 million kronor in 2024 to meet increased unemployment and strengthen the control work.
To reduce unemployment and give more people with disabilities the opportunity for work or education, a proactive and effective employer engagement is also required. During the current year, the authority has a mandate to, among other things, continue to strengthen and develop its work with labor market policy interventions and employer contacts.
It is of great importance that everyone who can work does so. The opportunity to work is a fundamental matter of justice and is crucial for being able to break exclusion and strengthen the welfare. I continue, of course, to closely follow the developments in the labor market as well as Arbetsförmedlingen's important work for persons with disabilities.
Jim Svensk Larm (S)
Madam Speaker! I thank the Minister for Employment for the answer.
The heading of this interpellation may not be the most exciting, as I have understood when I have tried to get colleagues to join the debate. It is a bit difficult to understand. The subject is not less important for that. This is an important debate that affects many people's everyday lives and opportunity for work.
Education, subsidized employment, and extra support in work are some of the measures that may be needed for more people to enter employment. Which measure is needed varies, and therefore it is important that there are different measures. It is simply important because everyone who can work should work. We Social Democrats have said it before, and we continue to say it because it is an important part.
For people who are far from the labor market, the support is extra important. In this debate, we shall focus precisely on the support for people who are far from the labor market and who have a disability. What support is there for them, and how shall we provide better conditions for work?
The unemployment for persons with disabilities that entail reduced work capacity is 20 percent, while at the same time the unemployment for the rest of the population is around 8 percent. This is not an acceptable difference. The difference is also not new. Most recently in April, the Minister for Employment and the Minister for Enterprise and Innovation and I had another interpellation debate about exactly this difference. In that debate, the Minister for Employment said that this was an important issue for the government and that one of the tools to be used was the regulatory letters.
After the Minister for Employment gained access to the keys to his office at Rosenbad, the regulatory letters have been changed five times. The result is not stronger governance for persons with disabilities. The State Secretary has removed parts and moved parts over to the instructions for Arbetsförmedlingen, but a part that I now find neither in the regulatory letters nor in the instructions concerns persons with disabilities.
When the minister took office, it stated in Arbetsförmedlingen's regulatory letter that "particular focus should be placed on the work of improving remote service as well as digital services for job seekers with disabilities". The Minister for Employment has removed this. Johan Pehrson has also said that the screen hysteria at Arbetsförmedlingen has gone too far.
How then are more people with disabilities supposed to get into work? Based on what Johan Pehrson argues for and presents, I do not see so many alternatives forward. It could be that Johan Pehrson means that the digitalization that has occurred at Arbetsförmedlingen has gone too far and that we should stop the digitalization. In that case, the conclusion must be that more offices should be opened and that there should be more staff out in the country. Or does Johan Pehrson mean that we should have none of that? Should we have neither the physical offices nor the digital service? Is it simply that we should not have any Arbetsförmedling? Given that the appropriations to Arbetsförmedlingen are being reduced, that is almost the conclusion one can come to. If the screen hysteria has gone too far within this operation, are we to have anything digital at all or not?
To return to the regulatory letters for Arbetsförmedlingen: The Minister received a letter from the disability organizations the other day regarding what they consider important. I would like to ask the Minister if any of the matters in the letter will be something we will be able to see in the regulatory letters going forward.
Arbetsmarknads- och integrationsministern Johan Pehrson (L)
Madam Speaker! This interpellation debate is about two things. I begin where Jim Svensk Larm ended, with Arbetsförmedlingen. It is clear that the digital is important. I usually say that it is important for everyone except children in preschool. They should preferably learn in other ways to increase their imagination and their creative ability. Sooner or later, all children in Sweden will be able to get stuck in screens. The same applies to regular school. But at Arbetsförmedlingen, it is special. Many people are very skilled and have no problems using digital tools. That can be done remotely, which means efficiency. It leads to resources being used in the best way for the benefit of Arbetsförmedlingen, the taxpayers, and the individual.
Then there are people who have difficulty with it for various reasons. Arbetsförmedlingen is working intensively to quickly try to identify which individuals must have physical help because they do not have the capacity to use the digital tools to enter a regular education, obtain a subsidized employment, or obtain a regular job in the regular labor market. It is important.
Madam Speaker! I have the budget bill here with me. Within this expenditure area, we are using 92 billion. I saw that the Social Democrats had a small increase in their budget proposal, and I welcome that. It is good that one wants to invest even more in this important area. Some redistributions have been made, as is common when political parties submit proposals. Some are feasible, others are not. The Government has here submitted proposals that are feasible. There is a strong focus on helping persons with disabilities who need support. It is the Swedish Public Employment Service's task to provide that support.
I now turn to those of you who are interested in law. I do not know how many of you listening right now study constitutional law or political science—perhaps there are some. You will certainly support my assertion that the budget is a steering document, just like the instructions and the recurring regulatory letters. Furthermore, one changes a lot of ordinances.
This area is anything but under-regulated. Sometimes I hear that new, enormously large legislative matters are desired from the Socialdemokraterna. It is very good if one points out what those are in that case. If one talks to others who act for a strong labor market, increased empowerment for individuals, real wage increases and so on, they rather say that there is a lot of over-regulation that we should look at.
It is important that it is clarified here in the chamber that it is clear in the instructions that persons with disabilities shall be able to be prioritized. I know that views have been expressed regarding Arbetsförmedlingen. They are struggling with how they should handle all the funds. It is thought that it is good to let these funds be put to use. The change and transfer being discussed in the interpellation is welcome. It is, as said, much better that those funds are used.
Steg till arbete, which only recently started last month, is a way to specifically focus on helping and supporting people with disabilities even better. We will have to evaluate it in a little while. But I know that the appointed Director General is very hopeful that this can yield good results in getting more people with disabilities into work.
Jim Svensk Larm (S)
Madam Speaker! I thank the Minister for the answer. We had the acting director-general in the committee this morning and heard a little about the work with Steps to Work, which I believe can be important for getting more people with disabilities into work. It is not the huge volumes we are talking about, but it is an important part.
It is pleasing that the Minister is pleased with our budget. I hope that the Minister will do what he can to get our proposals through. We count on his support.
In Arbetsförmedlingen's budget basis for 2024, the agency writes that the savings on the administrative grant create a strained situation. They also write that the agency's work with decisions on employment with wage subsidies is personnel-intensive. This means that not all funds allocated for wage subsidies will be able to be used, because there is no staff available to handle the applications. The government uses this to both reduce the grant for the wage subsidy and continue the cuts to Arbetsförmedlingen. It simply becomes a vicious spiral.
It is not without me wondering whether the government really wants people with disabilities to receive this support to enter employment. Based on previous debates with the Minister for Employment, the government's view seems to be that people do not need support to enter employment but need to be made much worse off. Benefit ceilings have been highlighted as one of the most important measures to get people into work. When it comes to the group we are discussing today, perhaps we should add the disability tax as one of the most important measures for the government. Those who are struggling will simply be made to struggle more. That is the path the SD-government takes to get people into work.
I think, Madam Speaker, that it is a major misstep in reasoning to believe that people will be better off by making things much worse for them. During my year here in the Riksdag, I have met many disability rights organizations that have told me how their members want nothing more than to work but are not given the opportunity. It could be about eight hours per week, eight hours per day, or anything in between. It is simply up to the individual how much they can contribute. These are people who want to be a part of society and contribute to development. But then they need support to get into work or studies.
Which measures are then pointed out as functioning? In Arbetsförmedlingen's reports from previous years, several measures that increase the chance of transitioning to work or studies are highlighted: internships, labor market training, subsidized employment, reinforced placement efforts, and also SIUS. These are things that are counted as successful. It is therefore these measures that the government is going after, both by directly reducing the appropriations and by reducing Arbetsförmedlingen's resources to decide on measures for people who need them.
Madam Speaker! In the previous interpellation debate with the Minister for Employment regarding this issue, I pointed out that it took an average of 311 days for a person with a disability to receive that registration at Arbetsförmedlingen. That is far too long. Something needs to be done. But the new statistics unfortunately show that it is going in the wrong direction. Now the average is up to 350 days for men and 380 days for women. Women wait an average of 380 days to receive the disability code in Arbetsförmedlingen's system and thereby gain access to the correct measures.
We Social Democrats have highlighted this in our committee motion, because we see that something needs to be done. Having to go and wait such a long time to receive the right measures does not make one get back to work faster. What does the government intend to do to reduce this time? Is it by continuing to reduce the appropriations to Arbetsförmedlingen?
Arbetsmarknads- och integrationsministern Johan Pehrson (L)
Madam Speaker! It is pleasing that the appointed Director General for the agency we are now talking about visited the committee this morning. Then Jim Svensk Larm must also, to speak plainly, make the connection to what he says about there being more wage subsidies and that one views positively that there is a chance that there will be more wage subsidies next year as well, for example. One has brought along a completely new program that is now finally launched.
It depends on, lo and behold, the government's will that it shall happen this way. Better, more efficient, and more coordinated efforts for people with disabilities shall be made. It is a mandate. It is a mandate that I assume the Social Democrats agree with. Otherwise, you are welcome to say here in the chamber when we debate: We want a different effort than what the Public Employment Service told us about today at the committee meeting. Come and tell us about that!
Then one must still be a bit careful. The Social Democrats are beginning to speak sulfurously about the changes being made to both create opportunities and increase personal responsibility for integration. It is about, for example, how it must always pay to work instead of receiving public benefits. It is usually spoken of as benefit ceilings. It is something that Jim Svensk Larm thinks is completely astounding.
It is very important that you tell about it when you knock on doors in your hometown or in your county, Jim Svensk Larm. You think that it is not so important that it should always pay off to work.
We are lowering the tax for everyone who works. We are also lowering the tax for those who have a disability and who go to work, toil and contribute and become nation-builders, perhaps with some support. It is a very important contribution.
I have noted that the Social Democrats also stand up and say: lower tax on work. When I heard that, Madam Speaker, I felt that after all these years that I have had the privilege of being in the Riksdag, the penny has dropped even with the Social Democrats. Tax on work, the wealth-creating forces, have no intrinsic value.
I am very glad to hear that. I would be surprised if the Social Democrats now want to deviate from this. It seems as if it is a problem that we are to lower the tax on labor regardless of whether you have a support or not.
Jim Svensk Larm (S)
Madam Speaker! I think I say anyway: Thank you, Minister, for the answer!
We touched upon a wide range of different things in the posts. That is usually how it happens in interpellation debates with the Minister for Employment. We award medals. We talk about fairy tale characters. We talk about both one and the other in different debates.
I feel I recognize the swirling in all possible directions. When I sit there at home on the pier, I see my scarecrow above it flying in all possible directions in the wind, while the birds sit underneath it. It is not doing its job. I do not think the minister is doing its job either.
This is my final contribution to the debate. I did not intend to go into much more. This is extremely important. I hope that the Minister is nevertheless correct that we should continue with more people receiving wage subsidies and more people receiving SIUS-assistance. These are important activities.
Of course, there are more things within the grant. We have assistive devices and also some other supports that are important for people with disabilities to enter employment.
For me, this will be the last debate with the Minister for Employment on these issues. On Monday, I will put on my work clothes at the mill. Monday morning at 05.00, I shall be one of those who go back to work. I hope that the Minister for Employment continues to push these issues and that my colleagues push these issues. These are important issues.
People with disabilities deserve opportunities to enter the workforce. They deserve to be a part of the construction of society. I would like to thank the Minister.
Arbetsmarknads- och integrationsministern Johan Pehrson (L)
Madam Speaker! I want to thank Jim Svensk Larm. You are ready to take responsibility, Jim. You step in and serve. You take on a mission to represent the citizens in a time when polarization, misconceptions, and rather coarse rhetoric characterize the political conversation that is so important.
We know some things that are fundamental for Swedish prosperity and the citizens' freedom and opportunity to live decent lives. It is democracy, functioning institutions, trust and a market economy. There is nodding here in front of me, and that pleases me.
All of it is important. But that requires people like Jim Svensk Larm and several others in here, no committee and no one forgotten. There are still some here who are fighting here before the parliamentary recess. Thank you for what you have done, Jim! We have not always thought alike. I can state that even my rhetoric can sometimes be harsh. I think Jim Svensk Larm's rhetoric is sometimes very harsh.
I have reported 92 billion to the broad labor market policy. It is the taxpayers' money. There are some who are sitting here up in the stands. It is their money that we are trying to use wisely and effectively and ensure that it does not go to waste unnecessarily. One must be careful with others' money.
There are other proposals from the Social Democrats. We do not agree with all of these. But I would like to once again thank Jim Svensk Larm for his efforts in the Swedish Riksdag and for Swedish labor market policy.
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.