Moderates pledge billions for unemployed

Fredrik Reinfeldt's Moderate Party wants to spend 3 billion kronor ($410 million) over the next three years on job coaching, work experience and training, creating over 31,000 new opportunities in 2011 and 2012, according to party estimates.

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"It is now the right time to expand the volumes," Reinfeldt said during a campaign stop in Norrköping.

The investment is temporary for the next two years with a focus on 2011. The package involves the creation of 6,000 extra work experience placements, 13,300 job coaching places and 1,000 more opportunities in folk high schools.

Around 2,000 unemployed young people are to be offered higher study grants in order to tempt them to complete their studies at Komvux adult education schools.

The Moderates also want to reinforce the employment support provision for the long term unemployed, so that the ceiling for remuneration to employers is lifted from 750 kronor to 890 kronor per day up to 85 percent of wage costs. At the same time the qualification for those to be employed under the scheme would be raised from 14 months to 24 months of unemployment.

The investment is budgeted to cost a total of 1.4 billion kronor and cover 6,000 people in 2011 and 2012.

The Moderates also want to change the conditions for young people to qualify for the youth jobs guarantee. Currently the requirement is three consecutive months of unemployment and would be changed to an accumulated three months in a four month period to enable young people to accept short-term temporary jobs.

The entire package, which is yet to be negotiated with the Moderates' three coalition parties, covers 31,000 places and is budgeted to cost 3 billion kronor.