Response to interpellation 2023/24:601 on measures for the long-term unemployed

Arbetsmarknads- och integrationsministern Johan Pehrson (L)

Mr. Speaker! Serkan Köse has asked me what measures I and the government intend to take to improve Arbetsförmedlingen's ability to effectively support the long-term unemployed, especially those who have been without work for more than two years.

A well-functioning labor market is of crucial importance for a competitive economy and, in the long run, for securing prosperity in Sweden. To achieve a well-functioning labor market, there is a need for specific measures that facilitate entry into the labor market.

Arbetsförmedlingen needs to strengthen the support for connecting the long-term unemployed with employers seeking labor. The Government has therefore set as a goal in Arbetsförmedlingen's regulation letter for 2024 that the agency shall, in its activities, prioritize the work with persons who are or risk becoming long-term unemployed in order for these persons to transition to work or regular education. Furthermore, it appears from the same goal that Arbetsförmedlingen shall specifically prioritize persons who have been without work for more than two years.

In addition to this goal, the Government has also included a mandate in Arbetsförmedlingen's regulatory letter that the agency, with its own staff locally and regionally, shall effectively bring together job seekers with employers seeking labor. The activity shall, as a complement to matching services, strengthen the support for unemployed persons who are not judged to be able to receive purposeful support within the framework of those services.

In the assignment, it is specified that persons who have been without work for more than two years shall be prioritized, including foreign-born women and persons with disabilities that result in reduced work capacity. It appears from the assignment, among other things, that the authority shall intensify the matching to the individual and that it can also cooperate with other actors such as municipalities. The objective is that the individual shall transition to work or begin regular education.

At the same time as there are many unemployed, the labor shortage is great in many industries. Arbetsförmedlingen has been tasked in this year's regulatory letter to increase the geographical and professional mobility among job seekers. This means that those who are unemployed should be prepared to move within the country or change professions.

The lack of matching in the labor market is also due to the fact that job seekers do not have the professional competence that is in demand. Education is an important part of addressing this. More unemployed people need to educate themselves to obtain the competencies that employers demand. Labor market training is an important tool for Arbetsförmedlingen both to facilitate entry into the labor market for job seekers and to meet employers' needs.

Labor market training is a complement to regular education, and the regular education system constitutes the backbone when it comes to the training of the workforce. The opportunity for education therefore needs to be strengthened to meet the continued large competence needs throughout Sweden.

For that reason, the government prioritizes investments in more locations within both the university college (yrkeshögskolan) and the vocational adult education, so that access to such education is improved and more people can quickly enter the workforce. The Swedish Council for Vocational Education (Myndigheten för yrkeshögskolan) has recently been commissioned to begin a pilot project with a new form of vocational education for adults at the upper secondary level, which is based on the university college model.

The Government follows the developments in the labor market and has an ongoing dialogue with Arbetsförmedlingen regarding the agency's work with the long-term unemployed.

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Serkan Köse (S)

Mr. Speaker! I thank the Minister for the answer.

Despite the government's clearly stated ambitions and Arbetsförmedlingen's mandate to prioritize support for the long-term unemployed, including persons with disabilities, Arbetsförmedlingen's own reports and the agency's statistics and annual report show that the measures taken so far are insufficient. The effectiveness of these efforts, which are intended to support these individuals and help them into work or studies, is not only deficient but in many cases alarmingly low, Minister.

We have today over 358,000 people registered and enrolled at Arbetsförmedlingen, and almost 52 percent of these completely lack interventions. The results of various programs, such as Rusta and matcha, where only one-third of the participants either find work or begin studies within four months, a figure that is furthermore on the way down, raise concern. Who bears the responsibility for this? Is it Johan Pehrson or the agency he leads?

In a report to Johan Pehrson regarding the mission to reduce long-term unemployment, Arbetsförmedlingen emphasizes that success in these missions depends on the agency's economic conditions, which underscores that the mission is resource-intensive. When we now discuss the effectiveness of labor market policy measures, we must also consider the resources allocated to these measures. It is clear that Arbetsförmedlingen's ability to offer support and service to the long-term unemployed has been limited by significant resource shortages and cuts by Johan Pehrson. These economic limitations affect not only the quantity but also the quality of the services offered.

In this year's regulatory letter from the government, Arbetsförmedlingen has been given the mandate to specifically prioritize the long-term unemployed and persons with disabilities, which I think is good. At the same time, the agency is to implement savings of 250 million kronor. The budget has decreased since 2019. The workforce has been significantly reduced, which is a consequence of the budgets that the right-wing parties have pushed through in the Swedish Riksdag. Therefore, I am not surprised that we see weak results in Arbetsförmedlingen's work, not least in the annual report.

Mr. Speaker! When the proportion of job seekers with low work capacity on the labor market increases, including persons with disabilities that entail reduced work capacity, specialists are needed in an ever-increasing extent. Despite this, these resources are being reduced at Arbetsförmedlingen. Now, Arbetsförmedlingen has announced that, among other things, more social counselors are to be removed. I understand that Arbetsförmedlingen, with ever smaller administrative grants, must cut in many different services. But for me, it is completely incomprehensible, Mr. Speaker, that they are cutting in the services and resources that can best help those who are far from the labor market and whom they also have to work with according to the main mandate in the government's regulatory letter.

When we are now informed that Arbetsförmedlingen is significantly reducing the number of specialized professionals, such as social consultants, as I mentioned, I must ask the Minister: How can we reasonably expect Arbetsförmedlingen to be able to offer adapted and qualified support to those who need it most when those skills are now being laid off at the agency?

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Arbetsmarknads- och integrationsministern Johan Pehrson (L)

Mr. Speaker! It is clear that the period of great transition that Sweden, like many other parts of the Western world, finds itself in affects us all. A green, a digital, a geographical, and a demographic transition is occurring. It also affects people who are long-term unemployed. When we listen to Arbetsförmedlingen, meet these people, and speak with those who in different ways support them and help them get into regular work, we receive a clear message: What is lacking is competence in the Swedish language and basic competence, not to mention primary school education of a basic level.

What do you do then? As Serkan Köse says, the authority has previously had a larger administrative budget. One has had more money in the account to have people employed at Arbetsförmedlingen. Now, a smaller reduction has been announced. One has not extended probationary employment, one is frugal with consultants, and one does not re-hire. According to the press release from March 7, a smaller reduction is being made to increase efficiency. But it is another question which correlations exist between how many who work at the authority and what results one achieves.

Arbetsförmedlingen is doing a fantastic job and is one of our largest agencies. It is also one of the agencies that has existed the longest in our country. It is a fantastic agency, but it has been undergoing a major transition, not least due to digitalization. There is also other things that have been added and which affect the resource needs and the situation at Arbetsförmedlingen, for example Rusta and matcha.

Add to that that we now have the establishment jobs in place, which are not least aimed at the long-term unemployed. There is now a large number of agreements written between the parties. These include everything from Säkerhetsföretagen, Almega Tjänsteföretagen, Byggföretagen, Biltrafikens Arbetsgivareförbund, Energiföretagen, Installatörsföretagen, Innovationsföretagen, Grafiska Företagens Förbund, Kompetensföretagen, Maskinentreprenörerna, Motorbranschens Riksförbund, Måleriföretagen, Plåt och Ventföretagen, Sjöfartens Arbetsgivareförbund, Transportföretagen, Sveriges Hamnar and Sveriges Bussföretag to Unionen. All of them are now in place as support to help the long-term unemployed.

When it comes to relief at Arbetsförmedlingen, the rest of the transition package exists for people who end up in unemployment due to the fact that we are in a weak economic cycle.

Mr. Speaker! Now I come to the point. If there had been a connection between high appropriations and good results, one should have reached Europe's lowest unemployment during the Social Democratic period, which in this case I do not want to review but which Serkan Köse highlights as the good times. But that was not the case, because one had inefficient measures and inefficient policy.

Now we are strengthening the work line in every way and opening new opportunities, but we are also setting requirements. As the previous interpellation debate showed, for example, one cannot use labor market training just anyhow. Even for those, quality and follow-up are required, so that they lead to regular work. Therefore, Arbetsförmedlingen has every opportunity to fulfill its important mission for the long-term unemployed with current resources.

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Serkan Köse (S)

Mr. Speaker! I thank the Minister for the contribution. But it is completely incomprehensible that the Minister cannot answer the question without talking about everything else and blaming the previous Social Democratic government, which had a clear goal: to have the EU's lowest unemployment. I think it is good that the policy has a goal. We had a goal and worked towards it. We achieved the EU's highest employment rate. We also achieved the EU's highest labor force participation. I wonder what Johan Pehrson's labor market policy goal is. It would be interesting to hear.

Johan Pehrson says that we would have had better results if it had been better during the Social Democrats' time. Let us then remind Johan Pehrson that it was he and his friends in this chamber who in 2019 decided to slaughter the resources for the active labor market policy. Then this has continued in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024.

Funktionsrätt Sverige and other organizations that I meet are very concerned about the resources for the long-term unemployed that are disappearing at Arbetsförmedlingen.

The Social Democratic government gave a mandate to Arbetsförmedlingen in 2022 regarding the fight against long-term unemployment. In an initial report to Johan Pehrson and the government on March 15, 2023, Arbetsförmedlingen wrote that the mandate is so complicated and demanding that it requires financial conditions. It was stated that several parts of the mandate will be resource-intensive and that there is a continued need for resources to manage the heavy mandate.

I believe the next report will arrive today. Once a year, Arbetsförmedlingen is to report back to Johan Pehrson on how it works with the long-term unemployed. I believe that even this time, they will point to the resources required to manage the heavy assignment.

Johan Pehrson does not even respond to this. He argues that with the existing resources within the labor market policy, these groups should still be able to receive the support they can get. The authority itself says: We will not be able to manage it.

In the annual report, it is stated that the goal has not been achieved. I have a question: If the authority now says that the goal has not been achieved, what is the answer from Johan Pehrson? How does he intend to act to ensure that Arbetsförmedlingen can fulfill its mission?

Let us note another thing. The Minister spoke about other collaborations. A survey by Sveriges Kommuner och Regioner shows that a majority of the municipalities consider that Arbetsförmedlingen does not fulfill its mission to help those who are far from the labor market. Only 19 percent of the municipalities consider that the mission is fulfilled, Johan Pehrson.

Furthermore, the support for local employers is considered insufficient. Only 14 percent of the municipalities consider the Arbetsförmedlingen's resources to be sufficient for this purpose. Even Sveriges Kommuner och Regioner points to the resources. SKR argues that almost all municipalities offer services that should actually be handled by Arbetsförmedlingen, which indicates a lack of availability and support from the agency's side.

In summary, Sveriges Kommuner och Regioner points out that there is a lack of adequate support for those furthest from the labor market and for local employers. The municipalities are most often forced to compensate for deficiencies in Arbetsförmedlingen's service and support. Arbetsförmedlingen blames the government and the economic resources.

How does Johan Pehrson intend to ensure that Arbetsförmedlingen receives the resources required so that we can help those who are far away from the labor market?

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Arbetsmarknads- och integrationsministern Johan Pehrson (L)

Mr. Speaker! I am the first to agree with Arbetsförmedlingen that the issue is complex. It has arisen due to a lack of a clear education and work policy over many years.

Mr. Speaker! I do not intend to engage in yet another debate with Serkan Köse about which government ruled during the eight years before the government took office in the autumn of 2022. Serkan Köse lives in the imagination that it was someone else who ruled Sweden.

I am the first to admit that these were not easy parliamentary situations. We can agree on that. But then perhaps Serkan Köse could generously concede that it was the Social Democrats who led the Ministry of Employment, the Ministry of Education, and in fact almost all central ministries in these matters.

We have, in different areas of the labor market policy, pushed for new opportunities and I mention now the establishment jobs, in order to directly ensure that we address long-term unemployment. It is an important support to complement wage subsidies, new start jobs, and other interventions that are being made. It is important.

I have earlier during the morning mentioned the importance of regular education. Various ways are being tried to facilitate things for people who are far from the labor market. This applies, for example, if people have been unemployed for a very long time.

It is about entering adult education to later perhaps aim for a vocational college education. We are also making changes now to make the vocational college model applicable to upper secondary studies, all to help those people who are far from the labor market.

But that is not enough. Clear requirements must also be set. If one stops there, Serkan Köse and the Social Democrats are usually included. It is good to have requirements and to conduct follow-ups on how one, for example, follows instructions.

It was such an example that was also raised in the debate earlier this morning. When one, for example, evaluates different interventions, one concludes that there is not sufficiently good follow-up from Arbetsförmedlingen. They want to improve it themselves. There is black and white evidence that people who are assigned to regular training do not take that training.

We have spoken about the labor market training. The deficiency is that too few people have the prerequisites to complete it or, as it is written by Arbetsförmedlingen, that they do not have the will. We must work on that will. There is no question that if one shows up, one also makes demands. There must be a very clear connection.

Arbetsförmedlingen has the resources that have been announced in our budget bills but also in previous budget bills from other governments. This year, we have added an additional 200 million for the current year to facilitate something during the recession that we are seeing.

The answer to that those who are long-term unemployed should do something else is that there are no jobs to conjure up. If one truly wants to get these people into work, we must do what we can to speed up the labor market.

We heard earlier that there are plenty of vacant jobs. In that case, the individual must ensure that they become employable. One can support and help. But it is the person themselves who must take the training and, for example, train as a machine operator, a train driver, or to work in the transport industry in general.

The answer is that with the 10,000 employees in one of our absolutely largest agencies, there are opportunities to streamline and make the work better than it is done today. This will be closely followed up by the new board of Arbetsförmedlingen.

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Serkan Köse (S)

Mr. Speaker! Thank you, Johan Pehrson, for the answer!

It is a bit strange that Johan Pehrson is once again shifting the blame and placing the responsibility on someone else. Johan Pehrson has been Minister for Employment for a year and a half and has so far not presented any concrete reforms for how he will get more people into work and strengthen the resources for active labor market policies. This also applies, not least, to how one should strengthen adult education.

Mr. Speaker! Arbetsförmedlingen has time and again, in report after report, stated that the resource cuts being implemented from 2019 onwards have affected their efforts and results. It is in every report. It is even in the annual reports for 2023.

The reason why it was not possible to get more long-term unemployed into work is blamed on the lack of resources. The reason why there were not more in the labor market training is blamed on the lack of resources.

If one is to work with the long-term unemployed and especially people with disabilities, they need help. They need a lot of help, Johan Pehrson. Now, that support is being terminated. The competence that exists at Arbetsförmedlingen today is being terminated because Arbetsförmedlingen needs to save 250 million.

Johan Pehrson's 200 million is already gone. The agency needs to save 250 million. A consequence of this is that the personnel-intensive and intensive resources that exist there to help people who need extra support will not be there. They take Johan Pehrson away, and he blames the Socialdemokraterna.

Johan Pehrson hopefully has the chance to rectify that in the autumn budget amendment or the autumn budget. Thank you for the debate!

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Arbetsmarknads- och integrationsministern Johan Pehrson (L)

Mr. Speaker! There are no easy paths to a growing Sweden. There are no easy paths to a labor market that flourishes and where people are given an increased chance at empowerment, self-sufficiency, and respect in every way to be able to influence their own future and not place it in the hands of Serkan Köse or, for that matter, Johan Pehrson.

It is about education. This government focuses on the education line. People who graduate from our primary schools or upper secondary schools must have sufficient knowledge with them. They do not have it if they, for example, have sat and stared down at a screen for half of their youth instead of reading what is required to succeed in professional life and the future. It is not an easy journey. But it provides opportunities for those who want to take their own responsibility.

It is very difficult if people do not have knowledge. They will sooner or later come to Arbetsförmedlingen. It is most important to rectify the real problems and to dare to switch and remove inefficient measures that have existed previously. One can claim that they are correct, but then one must build under that with research, I think.

We mean that establishment jobs are the right way to go. We are now making a development of the university college, and large investments are being made "post-pandemic". The pandemic is, as everyone knows, hopefully over, at least the one we had last.

These individuals already have increased opportunities for vocational training at the upper secondary level but also within the vocational college. It is the best path.

Arbetsförmedlingen, which is a fantastic agency, can continue to be streamlined. It is one of our largest agencies. They must be able to deliver more with the multi-billion resources that are invested. But it is not simple.

The interpellation debate was hereby concluded.

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