Response to interpellation 2024/25:285 on measures against high unemployment
Translated from Swedish by AI; the translation may contain errors. The Swedish text is the original.
Summary AI, written in advance
L believes that the economy is recovering and that the government prioritizes reforms for growth, purchasing power, and the work line 1. L wants to activate the unemployed through cost-effective measures, language skills, education, and reduced taxes on work 1. L wants to set higher demands on people and conduct a strict immigration policy 2. L argues that they are implementing a new policy that pushes back unemployment through tax cuts for workers and higher demands on the unemployed 3. L emphasizes that small business owners and hard-working people build society 3 4. S argues that Sweden is in a labor market crisis and that the government is passive 5. S wants to invest in active labor market policy and education 5 6. S believes that the government has deprioritized Arbetsförmedlingen 5 7 6. S argues that the government is pursuing an unemployment line through tax cuts for the richest 5. S believes that the government's policy for persons with disabilities is not sufficient 8. S criticizes the government's and SD's policy as passive and advocates for investments in people and solidarity 9.
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 Mats Persson (L)
Madam Speaker! Serkan Köse has asked me what measures I and the government intend to take to reduce unemployment and improve the situation for the long-term unemployed.
The Swedish economy is in a prolonged recession, but during 2025 a gradual recovery on the labor market is expected. The overall picture is that the recession lingers but that the economic recovery is in sight. The Government wants to support the economy's recovery and prioritizes reforms within three areas above all else. It is about continuing to strengthen households' purchasing power, reforms for increased growth, and re-establishing the work principle so that more people get into work.
The government's strategy to get more people into employment is aimed at activating the unemployed and prioritizing cost-effective measures, initiatives that provide knowledge in the Swedish language, and training that benefits the skills supply. In the 2025 budget bill, the government makes investments that involve lowered taxes on work as well as extensive investments in education. The government has also increased Arbetsförmedlingen's resources to improve matching in the labor market and provide better support to job seekers. The government has a good foundation to meet unemployment and constantly follows and analyzes the developments in the labor market to be able to conduct an effective labor market policy, whose measures shall contribute to a well-functioning labor market.
Serkan Köse (S)
Madam Speaker! Thank you, Minister, for the answer!
Sweden is in a labor market crisis without parallel. We have the highest unemployment in ten years, if we set aside the pandemic. We have over 400,000 people who are unemployed, and more than 45,000 of them are youth. We see today that layoffs are increasing, construction projects are being stopped, and industry is slowing down. In November alone, over 5,700 people were laid off.
Madam Speaker! The number of unemployed has increased by 70,000 since the government took office. What have the government and the Sverigedemokraterna done to meet this crisis? The short answer is, unfortunately: nothing.
The consequences of this are now felt across the entire country in homes where anxiety is growing, in workplaces where the future feels uncertain, and in a society where the gaps risk deepening and where segregation is increasing. To blame the recession is not to take responsibility. There is no doubt that the recession has affected Sweden, but it can never be an excuse for passivity. On the contrary, it should be a signal for the government to act and implement powerful measures to support people, create jobs, and prepare the labor market for the future. But instead, we see a government that leans back and is very passive.
Madam Speaker! The Minister often speaks of the work line, but let us ask whether this government truly stands for a work line when almost half a million people are unemployed and the resources for active labor market policies have been cut. What we see is rather an unemployment line - a policy that lacks concrete measures to get people into work and which instead relies on tax cuts for the richest.
Madam Speaker! It is about priorities. A government that has consistently deprioritized Arbetsförmedlingen, labor market training, and support for the long-term unemployed cannot claim to safeguard the work principle. It is clear that this government has abandoned those who need the policy most: the youth, the long-term unemployed, and those who are furthest from the labor market.
Madam Speaker! The Government has a responsibility to create conditions so that those who are furthest from the labor market get a fair chance and to ensure that no one is left without support. But when I read the government's regulation letter for Arbetsförmedlingen 2025, Madam Speaker, I am met with a worrying lack of ambition and concrete measures. What does the regulation letter actually say about equipping people for real work? What does the regulation letter say about giving young people a real chance to start their adult lives with security and hope? What does the regulation letter say about prioritizing socioeconomically disadvantaged areas or ensuring that more women get to participate in labor market training? What does the regulation letter say about reducing long-term unemployment with concrete goals and clear interventions?
Madam Speaker! The answer to these questions, which we Social Democrats prioritized, has had to give way to vague phrasing and a policy that closes doors rather than opens them. The government's regulatory letter is as empty as their reform list.
Madam Speaker! We Social Democrats know that unemployment cannot be fought with empty words. During previous crises, we have shown that an active labor market policy in the form of investing in education and reforms that equip people for the future can make a difference.
Madam Speaker! The responsibility to break this labor market crisis lies with Mats Persson. Sweden cannot afford passivity. Therefore, I want to ask the Minister when he and the government intend to take their responsibility. When does the Minister intend to present reforms to break the unemployment? Or is it continued tax cuts for the richest that are supposed to solve Sweden's labor market crisis?
Jonathan Svensson (S)
Madam Speaker! Thanks to my colleague Serkan Köse for taking the initiative for this very important and pressing debate!
Just as Serkan Köse, and surely also the Minister, I have taken note of the Arbetsförmedlingen's recently released figures regarding the situation on the labor market, and it is with some dismay that one reads the figures in the report that has been presented.
The insufficient measures that the government is taking in the labor market area to try to manage the rising unemployment do not seem to have any intended effect at all. From all appearances, unemployment will continue to increase in the coming period while long-term unemployment takes hold in our society.
It is a harmful development that we can see in our country. Long-term unemployment, which is already incredibly high, continues to increase. Long-term unemployment in particular is extra harmful. It brings with it great consequences both for society as a whole and for individual individuals.
The level of long-term unemployment and unemployment naturally differs between different groups. One group that is overrepresented in the unemployment statistics is people who have a disability that results in a reduced capacity to work. From Arbetsförmedlingen's figures, we can see how this group has increased in size and is now so large that over a quarter of all long-term unemployed people registered with the agency have a disability code.
This is a group that is often in need of more individualized support in order to be able to enter or strengthen their position on the labor market. The goal for society must be that every individual receives the help they need to be able to get a job or enter an education without falling through the cracks.
In the current situation, society is not able to fully deliver on this goal. Unemployed people with disabilities often go for far too long without the correct support measures being implemented, and it is clearly a failing grade. Even though Arbetsförmedlingen has begun work on shortening the time to obtain a disability code, there is still much more to be done.
Based on the answer that the Minister has just presented here tonight, I can unfortunately state that it echoes quite empty for this group. In the Minister's answer, in practice, no measures are mentioned that target more than a quarter of these long-term unemployed.
Instead, the government minister brings up tax cuts as some kind of idea to get people into work. How tax cuts, which primarily benefit those who already have the most, facilitate getting a job for people who do not have a job is something I do not fully understand. The government minister is welcome to elaborate on that.
The Minister also describes how more resources are being given to Arbetsförmedlingen and the labor market policy. The agency is receiving more money in absolute kronor, but we can still observe that Arbetsförmedlingen is laying off staff. I do not consider that to be a strengthening of the agency's resources, and it is obviously also something that will affect the group that I have chosen to highlight in today's debate.
I therefore want to ask the Minister if, in addition to the tax cuts that go to those who already have the most and the cuts to Arbetsförmedlingen and the active labor market policy, he has any concrete political proposals that can actually help this group.
Arbetsmarknads- och integrationsministern Mats Persson (L)
Madam Speaker! Thank you, Jonathan Svensson and Serkan Köse, for your excellent contributions and for your commitment to these types of issues!
It is obvious that there is a clear ideological difference in the view of what makes Sweden strong. We may have the same commitment to pushing back unemployment and getting more people into jobs; I do not doubt that the Social Democrats have a strong commitment to this. But our paths to get there are very different.
When I listen to the Social Democrats, it becomes very clear that you do not see the major reforms we are making right now when it comes to placing higher demands on people. We want people to take greater personal responsibility for finding work, and we provide great opportunities by ensuring that there are many different educational opportunities all around our country.
A very high proportion of those who do not have a job are born in another country and have immigrated to Sweden. Therefore, it is important that in the coming years we pursue a strict immigration policy where we receive fewer asylum seekers to Sweden - preferably more highly educated and highly qualified labor, but we want fewer asylum seekers who come specifically to Sweden. Sweden cannot take as many as other countries in Europe can. We also need to have a requirement-based integration policy, where we set requirements that one learns the Swedish language. One should also not be able to live on benefits year after year.
I note that the Social Democrats do not like that policy, and it is not so surprising because for eight years we saw them continue in the same well-worn tracks with devastating effects, that is to say, major integration problems and a labor market that left very many people outside.
The government is now reversing that development. We are presenting proposal after proposal concerning more educational places, ensuring that the work principle functions better, and setting higher requirements for people. It is reasonable that one learns Swedish if one lives in Sweden, and it is unreasonable that one can live on benefits year after year without making a counter-performance.
We are changing all of this, and it is an important reform to push back unemployment.
Serkan Köse (S)
Madam Speaker! Thank you, Minister, for the answer!
When Sweden is in the middle of a labor market crisis with almost half a million unemployed, which is the highest unemployment in ten years, and the second highest youth unemployment in Europe, I would have expected the Minister to be a bit more crisis-aware in his answer. Comparing with the previous government's policy will not help the half a million people who today are waiting for an answer from the Minister.
I agree with the Minister that we must set higher requirements for people. The Social Democrats' answer is clear: Everyone who can work shall work. This is what we agree on.
What we do not agree on is the Minister's definition of the work line. If the government and the Minister really want to strengthen the work line, more than rhetoric is required. Action is required. It is about investing in active labor market policy, not about lowering or reducing the resources for active labor market policy.
Reforms are required. We demand concrete reforms that could make a difference. But these reforms are conspicuously absent.
The question is: Does the government really stand for the work line? As I have pointed out previously, we see rather an unemployment line, with a policy that lacks concrete measures to create jobs and equip people for the requirements of the labor market.
Madam Speaker! The Government is happy to speak of growth as a solution to unemployment. But let us be honest: Sweden today has the weakest growth in the entire EU. It is an alarming sign that the government's policy is not delivering the results required to create more jobs and strengthen the economy. Words like "growth" and "strengthen purchasing power" sound good in the debate, but without concrete reforms and investments, they become empty promises.
Madam Speaker! Let us also speak about Arbetsförmedlingen. It is a central part of our labor market policy, an agency that is to match the unemployed with jobs and provide support to those who are furthest away from the labor market. But for Arbetsförmedlingen to be able to manage this, it is important that the agency has the resources that are needed. There should be no cuts.
During Mats Persson's time, administrative appropriations have been reduced, local offices have been closed, and the workforce has been reduced. The question is: How is Arbetsförmedlingen supposed to be able to help thousands of people when there are no tools and when the authority does not have the resources that are needed?
We consider Arbetsförmedlingen to be important and crucial for us to be able to meet the challenges of the labor market. But instead of strengthening the agency, the government has chosen to erode its resources; it has done so every time it has had the opportunity.
Madam Speaker! Mats Persson talks a bit about how we Social Democrats did not succeed with that much during our eight years. Let us state that during these years we conducted an active labor market policy. We invested in education and in reforms that equip people for the future and that can make a difference. When we gained power, we introduced a lot of reforms. We addressed unemployment on several fronts. We introduced education contracts and the 90-day guarantee, which helped thousands of young people enter the labor market. We invested in adult education. Komvux was upgraded. We created fast tracks for newcomers. We launched trainee jobs and other initiatives for people who were furthest from the labor market.
I can agree that not all reforms were successful or permanent, but we tried. We took responsibility, and we delivered reforms.
My question to Mats Persson is: Where are Mats Persson's reforms?
Jonathan Svensson (S)
Madam Speaker! The Minister just said in his contribution that the government presents proposal after proposal. Earlier today, an information material landed in my inbox that the Government Offices had sent out. There was a list of the proposals intended to be presented from the Ministry of Employment during the spring. It was one proposal. That is how it has been; it has echoed relatively empty on that list throughout the entire mandate period. The Minister is therefore welcome to account for which "proposal after proposal" it is that lands on the Riksdag's table. Those proposals are, in any case, not seen by us Social Democrats.
I think it is quite clear that the measures described by the Minister are not sufficient. It is obvious that the policy the government is pursuing to get more people with disabilities into work is not sufficient. My conviction is further strengthened when I read the figures from Arbetsförmedlingen, which truly show how things are pointing in the wrong direction with rising unemployment and long-term unemployment.
The entire large group that falls within the category that I want to discuss and highlight here today would have deserved a policy that saw them and their needs - a policy that would have provided individualized support and which would have helped people into work or into education. As the development looks today, the government's labor market policy is unable to deliver this. It is very regrettable considering that the situation we find ourselves in is both terrible for the individual individuals who are in it and costs society an extremely large amount of money.
It is clear that I am not entirely satisfied with the policy that the government is pursuing in this area. I therefore want to give the Minister another chance to answer how the government's policy concretely contributes to more people who have a disability being able to enter the labor market and take a job.
Arbetsmarknads- och integrationsministern Mats Persson (L)
Madam Speaker! I note a pattern in this debate that is present in so many other debates: When the listener does not get to hear what they wish to hear, the answer is that no proposals will be made.
The truth is that it is the proposals that the bourgeois government puts forward that the Social Democrats do not like. When we now lower the tax, those who work in Sweden will keep more money in their pockets at the next salary payment at the end of January. We are lowering the tax for all people who work in Sweden. It is to strengthen the work line, and that is what the Social Democrats vote no to.
We are raising the requirements for people who are unemployed. The Social Democrats vote no to that. We ensure that more people get an opportunity to attend a vocational training that leads to a real job. The Social Democrats criticize that.
Point by point, we are now reforming the policy, where we have a starting point that is non-socialist. We believe that it is individual people and individual companies and entrepreneurs who create jobs in Sweden. It is when we ensure that we have an economic policy with low interest rates and a growing economy where one feels confidence in the future that one dares to hire people. It is hard-working people who support themselves through work who get a tax cut, because it should always pay off better to work than to live on benefits.
This is a direction that the Social Democrats are always against, in every situation. It is not strange. We have different views. But it is clear that we now have a new policy in Sweden that will step by step ensure that we push back unemployment.
Serkan Köse (S)
Madam Speaker! Thank you, Minister, for the answer!
Once again, the debate shows that we stand at a crossroads. On one side, we have a neoliberal policy with Mats Persson who places his faith in tax cuts as a universal solution. It is a policy that accepts inequality as the price for growth. On the other side, there are we Social Democrats, who stand for a policy that knows that a strong society is built by investing in people.
Unemployment is not just figures in a report. It is life stories, it is lost opportunities, and it is the faith in the future that we must restore.
Madam Speaker! History teaches us that passivity and blind faith in the market lead to increased inequalities and lost opportunities. It was through reforms, investments, and solidarity that we built Sweden strong. And that is how we will do it again. We know that every person deserves a chance. We know that the future is built together through collective efforts and a political will.
Madam Speaker! It is about the choices we make as a society. The Government and the Sweden Democrats have chosen passivity and tax cuts for the richest. We Social Democrats choose to invest in people, in solidarity, and in a future where no one is left behind.
Arbetsmarknads- och integrationsministern Mats Persson (L)
Madam Speaker! Thanks to Serkan Köse for the initiative to the debate! It is clear that there is a crossroads in Swedish politics, and it is about the Social Democratic contribution line versus the bourgeois government's work line. There is a crossroads that is about believing in large-scale socialist solutions where one always believes in the state, versus believing, as the undersigned, that it is small business owners and hard-working people who build our society strong and that it is through work that we lay the foundation for welfare.
There is a major ideological divide between those who believe in different types of invented forms of education or labor market policy programs and those who believe in real vocational training that leads to real jobs in shortage occupations. It is the latter that the government promotes and believes in. There is a clear divide in Swedish politics, and it also becomes very clear for the voters.
The most important thing, however, is that the government is determined that we shall push back unemployment and that more people shall be able to support themselves. This is based on the fact that we set high demands on people. One must learn the Swedish language, and one must do everything one can to support oneself. One receives many educational opportunities in our country, not least through vocational training. We ensure that those who work and toil receive a tax reduction so that it always pays better to work than to live on benefits.
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.