Response to interpellation 2024/25:417 on age discrimination in the labor market
Translated from Swedish by AI; the translation may contain errors. The Swedish text is the original.
Summary AI, written in advance
The debate concerns age discrimination in the labor market, particularly for people over 40 years old. L argues that the legislation is in place and that employers have the ultimate responsibility to counteract discrimination 1 2 3 4. L emphasizes that the focus should be on addressing the discrimination itself rather than economic changes 2. S argues that current legislation is insufficient and that the problem is exacerbated by reduced benefits in the a-kassa 5. S suggests that people over a certain age should receive longer periods with a-kassa and that Arbetsförmedlingen should receive more funds to support this group 5. S also wants to see tangible penalties for employers who discriminate 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.
Statsrådet Paulina Brandberg (L)
Madam Speaker! Patrik Lundqvist has asked me what measures I intend to take to reduce the problems with age discrimination in the labor market that affect those who become unemployed late in life.
I would like to thank the member for the question and the commitment.
Initially, I want to emphasize the problem that the member highlights, namely that research shows age discrimination, which means that applicants are less frequently called for an interview after the age of 40. The probability of being contacted falls faster with age for women than for men.
Age discrimination and ageism affect both society as a whole and individual people. We lose out on competence and the different perspectives that age diversity entails, and we exclude people who can and want to work longer into their later years.
The legislation is in place. Discrimination on the basis of age is prohibited in the working life according to the Discrimination Act. The law also requires all employers to work preventatively and promote measures to counter discrimination and work for equal rights and opportunities regardless of, among other things, age. The Equality Ombudsman supervises that the Discrimination Act is followed and thus has an important role in the work against discrimination.
Prejudices, attitudes, perceptions and expectations regarding different ages often constitute obstacles to achieving equal rights and opportunities. We therefore need to continue the work to reach the goal of a society free from discrimination.
Patrik Lundqvist (S)
Madam Speaker! It is pleasing to hear that the Minister agrees with me that there is a major problem. On the other hand, there were not many insights into what should be done or any hint of what will be done. Of course, the legislation has been in place for a good while, and that is a reason why I have asked the question. The problem remains, or grows in the worst case, and it is getting worse rather than the other way around.
The ground for discrimination has existed for a good while, but particularly much does not happen. On the other hand, we see some things getting worse. We get a new budget in October this year, and the compensations are lowered already at day 100. Age discrimination manifests, among other things, by the fact that it takes significantly longer for people who are older and who have lost their jobs to return to work. Even though they do exactly everything they are supposed to, behave themselves and use all the means they have, it takes longer than for younger people.
To then introduce such a limit, which so clearly affects the older group, I can see as nothing other than a step in further discriminating against precisely the elderly in the labor market.
Before this recession, it took an average of 76 days for people who lost their jobs to return to work. We know that it takes longer for the elderly, and it is naturally also the case that it is a majority of them who exceed the average and are thus affected by this development.
There is quite a lot that could be done instead. One could, for example, ensure that people over a certain age received a longer period of unemployment insurance, specifically with reference to this issue. With the same reference, one could also ensure that Arbetsförmedlingen receives additional funds to work with this group so that they receive some extra support.
There are two things that could be done. To continue working as we have done so far, I do not feel that is an option. More needs to be done.
Statsrådet Paulina Brandberg (L)
Madam Speaker! I do not believe that the solution to age discrimination is to make changes in the budget, but it is the discrimination itself that we need to address. To be discriminated against and excluded from the labor market is so much more than an economic issue. Not being on the labor market often involves major psychosocial problems for the person who is excluded, and therefore our focus must simply be on addressing the discrimination itself.
Here, it is of course the employers who have the ultimate responsibility to follow the legislation that we have. As I said in my previous contribution, the Equality Ombudsman is the authority that both examines individual cases of discrimination and often works with preventive measures to ensure that discrimination does not occur.
The government received the department memorandum "A more sustainable and longer working life" in the autumn, which focuses on precisely this issue. This department memorandum also contains certain concrete proposals, however not that which the interpellor raised. It is proposed, among other things, that the Equality Ombudsman shall be tasked to undertake specific measures to strengthen employers' preventive and promotional work to counter age discrimination. This shall be done, among other things, by reviewing employers' preventive work against discrimination and for equal rights and opportunities, the so-called active measures, and then, based on the results of these reviews and other existing knowledge, develop and disseminate knowledge support in the area directed at employers. These are proposals that are now being prepared within the Government Offices.
Patrik Lundqvist (S)
Madam Speaker! It is naturally true that this is more than just an economic issue. But it cannot be glossed over that the economy is a very important part of people's lives. If one loses their job, it is one of the first things that hits them. Worry about how to manage the finances is one of the obstacles that people experience when it comes to doing what they should to seek work. I therefore do not think that one can wave it away.
Furthermore, it is as the minister also said, that the psychosocial is very important and something that one experiences problems with when one becomes unemployed. The pressure to be forced to give up even more, cut back and perhaps take out loans and put oneself in an even worse situation with the uncertainty of whether one will actually get a job within a reasonable time becomes an extra burden.
It is very good that there are at least some other proposals, for example support for employers who in the best case want to do the right thing, because there is quite a lot of money to be earned for society if one tackles these problems. It is partly about being able to alleviate mental health problems, something we have touched upon, and partly about the gains for society that it entails when people with high competence return to the workforce and do not need to burden the systems. There we are probably very much in agreement.
The problem lies, as the minister also pointed out, with the employers who practice discrimination. Information initiatives and support for those who do so unconsciously can naturally be good. I believe, however, that more will be needed. We need to look at how we can better monitor that such things do not occur, and we need to ensure that the penalties for those who practice age discrimination are also significant.
Here we have, as I see it, a huge job to do, because this is a difficult and in many respects hidden problem. It is very easy for the one who discriminates to simply say "No, no, that's not how we made the selection!" and just pretend as if it's raining. This applies, of course, to discrimination on all grounds but above all on the basis of age.
There are many systems for seeing how things look at the societal level, but when you go to the individual, it becomes very difficult to pinpoint why a certain person did not get the employment they applied for. We need to devote significantly more resources to this, because I truly believe that this is something that happens systematically in a way that does not come to the surface today. I hope that the minister can put some effort into it in the coming years.
Statsrådet Paulina Brandberg (L)
Madam Speaker! I can state that the interpellor and I share a great deal of common ground regarding this issue, and it is a problem when people are discriminated against in the labor market due to age, partly, as we touched upon earlier, based on the individual's finances and psychosocial health, and partly based on society as a whole.
We need in Sweden to utilize the full competence that we have among our able-bodied population. When it comes to the older population, and that actually concerns those over 40 whom we know are discriminated against on the labor market, there is often a competence and an experience that is of course important to take advantage of. They are an asset on the Swedish labor market.
As I said earlier, this is ultimately a question where it is important for employers to take their responsibility. It is never okay to discriminate against anyone based on the grounds of discrimination we have in Sweden, and age is, as is known, one such ground of discrimination.
I would like to continue to put pressure on the employers and, of course, continuously explore in what way I can ensure that the Equality Ombudsman has the right tools to handle this issue.
Patrik Lundqvist (S)
Madam Speaker! It is very clear that we are in agreement, and I believe that most in society are as well. Despite that, this continues.
I want to return to the state's role for those who are affected by the discrimination. I think it should be significantly larger than what we see today. As said, the elderly are hit harder than others when it comes to the unemployment insurance and the insurances we have. No consideration is taken into account regarding what age people are and what situation they are in, but people are hit harder regardless of how easy or difficult they have it on the labor market and regardless of the reason. It is not a society, in my opinion, that takes responsibility for the problems that we all see. There, I would like to see something more.
In the rest, I believe we are in complete agreement. We see the difficulties in accessing the fundamental problem. But that is also why it is so important to ensure that everything surrounding it, which we actually can manage, facilitates things for the people who are subjected to what we all think one should not have to be subjected to on the Swedish labor market, namely age discrimination.
In other matters, we can return to this in the future and see what we can do together in society as a whole. But I see a very clear measure that we could take here in the chamber which would have an effect for people quite immediately, namely to review the support systems that exist for people who are subjected to [abuse/violence].
Madam Speaker! I thank you for this debate for as long as it has lasted.
Statsrådet Paulina Brandberg (L)
Madam Speaker! I would like to thank the interpellator for this debate and for raising a very important issue that needs to receive greater attention. That we are standing here and discussing this today is part of ensuring that we shine a light on this issue. As I have presented previously in my answers, this is an issue where we, of course, need to continuously see what measures can be taken from a political standpoint. But ultimately, the responsibility lies, of course, with the employers. I truly hope that they step up and take their responsibility better than what is being done today, because discrimination is never acceptable.
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.