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Unemployment up among immigrant youth: report
Youth unemployment among immigrants has risen sharply despite a record number of vacancies in the Swedish labour market, new statistics show.
Published: 25 May 2011 16:49 CET
Youth unemployment among immigrants has risen sharply despite a record number of vacancies in the Swedish labour market.
Unemployment among foreign-born young people has increased by more than three percent over the past year at the same time as it has declined by ten percent among Sweden-born.
"They are a vulnerable group with a fragile educational background which we have seen find it hard to take advantage of the upswing," said Tord Strannefors, forecasting director at the National Public Employment Service (Arbetsförmedlingen).
More than every fifth young person with an immigrant background lacks high school qualifications and twice as many get stuck in long-term unemployment in comparison with Sweden-born counterparts.
"This is serious. There is a risk that will be excluded from the labor market," Strannefors said.
Many also feel discriminated against because of their background.
"Sweden has great ambitions for integration. But there is nothing in practice," said one young job-seeker.
"Employers must get accustomed to having people with different backgrounds in the workplace. Many have never had it, they hire through their own networks and then it is only Swedes."
The image of the fragmented labor market is both alarming and of concern, according to Sweden's integration minister Erik Ullenhag.
"If you as a young and foreign-born do not secure a foothold in the labor market the risk is that you feel a very weak connection to society. You feel that that there is no future," Ullenhag said.
The reasons behind the increase in unemployment within the group is explained by the international crisis and economic downturn, Ullenhag said.
"We know that in a situation where the economy is declining, it is mainly young and foreign-born who are not able to establish themselves or remain in the workforce."
Ullenhag identified education and schools as having a key role.
"To break the cycle more investments are required. Secondary schools have a key role, as well as an apprentice system that will soon be launched in full," he said.
Ullenhag also said that a review of the system of income support (socialbidrag) could be required.
"This is a group that is likely to be dependent on income support and there we need to consider whether we can have a clearer line on jobs."
Unemployment among foreign-born young people has increased by more than three percent over the past year at the same time as it has declined by ten percent among Sweden-born.
"They are a vulnerable group with a fragile educational background which we have seen find it hard to take advantage of the upswing," said Tord Strannefors, forecasting director at the National Public Employment Service (Arbetsförmedlingen).
More than every fifth young person with an immigrant background lacks high school qualifications and twice as many get stuck in long-term unemployment in comparison with Sweden-born counterparts.
"This is serious. There is a risk that will be excluded from the labor market," Strannefors said.
Many also feel discriminated against because of their background.
"Sweden has great ambitions for integration. But there is nothing in practice," said one young job-seeker.
"Employers must get accustomed to having people with different backgrounds in the workplace. Many have never had it, they hire through their own networks and then it is only Swedes."
The image of the fragmented labor market is both alarming and of concern, according to Sweden's integration minister Erik Ullenhag.
"If you as a young and foreign-born do not secure a foothold in the labor market the risk is that you feel a very weak connection to society. You feel that that there is no future," Ullenhag said.
The reasons behind the increase in unemployment within the group is explained by the international crisis and economic downturn, Ullenhag said.
"We know that in a situation where the economy is declining, it is mainly young and foreign-born who are not able to establish themselves or remain in the workforce."
Ullenhag identified education and schools as having a key role.
"To break the cycle more investments are required. Secondary schools have a key role, as well as an apprentice system that will soon be launched in full," he said.
Ullenhag also said that a review of the system of income support (socialbidrag) could be required.
"This is a group that is likely to be dependent on income support and there we need to consider whether we can have a clearer line on jobs."
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No. it is not! Few lines above you are talking about the market "upswing" and that "They are a vulnerable group with a fragile educational background". why the hell then relate it to international crisis and economic downturn?!
The reason is the migration policy over the last decades that has let to this situation. First ask yourself what the average education / skill of immigrants over the last 2 decades is. Then consider the studies that relate the parents education level to their children's education and welfare. Now, you should have a conclusion at least more relevant comparing to what Ullenhag said.
if you have no backup no one employs you, like UAE some citizen must be behind you...
Like Brtahan says its all about relations, if you research any company or a kommun you find all are related and know each other...all have links, no one new out of nowhere pops in with a CV, its only friends and family...its abused...
More crimes will be committed , more drugs, more problems, why because of racism, segregate people, pressure them with the minimum food allowance, screw their lives and what you expect...Every one is willing to work and earn 17000 than 3500 Minimum food allowance....Every one wants to travel every one wants to buy a car and have some luxury than live on the minimum and bear racism,..idiots who just believe in the news and cannot see around them are programed
Importing goods and immigrating people are two separate issues...obviously.
We need foreign goods.
We don't need illiterate, unskilled, economically useless cave men.
Idiot.
everyone is having problems with jobs, not just foreign youth so why should they be singled out as special?
And everyone knows swedes get extremely paranoid and depressed if they dont get/have a job .
And dont give me the integration crap because its not truth, sweden does alot to integrate people more than any country ive ever been to.
They should either put those kids in the same boat as everyone else who has problems getting jobs or stfu about it because there are tons of other people with same problem.
I read: "More than every fifth young person with an immigrant background lacks high school qualifications..."
so basically what we say is that we find it "weird" that uneducated people have a problem finding a job? How is this new?
On a side note, racism my ass. I work for a company employing approximately 250 people and we count 14 different nationalities in the office. The only things that these nationalities have in common are: 1) All of them can speak English, 2) All of them have decent education in their fields
So spare me the racism speech. I came from Greece 3 years ago, i (still) don't speak Swedish and i got a job 30 days after being in the country. I have hired people from India, Pakistan, Iran, you name it, based solely on the fact that the had the qualifications and the experience for the job.
I am getting tired with all the "entitled" people. I realize that life was tough in your (my) home country and you might not had the chance to get good education / skills, and this is probably unfair. But the Swede (or the EU person) has the chance to get better education and therefore gets the job. Simple as that!
Job vacancies = 59,975
Do the maths and don't make excuses as to why people can't get a job, the figures say it all.
best home service, Swedens Elderly depend on them.
Look into Swedish History, and call the tax office see who is paying highest tax, foreign companies...See who is bringing talent and a new culture...We have seen elderly rot in their apartment and their children are careless and negligent...We have seen hight divorce rate and seen the low quality inexperienced docs look into the book or online while treating people and the news is full of their mistakes, People are very happy with immigrants they marry them...they mix with them learn from them and teach them...and ofcourse get petrol for a cheaper price from their countries for hosting them....people who do not see the big pic are dumb
My research showed that between 2000-2009 Sweden accepted 103,000 immigrants from Ethiopia, Iraq, Somalia, and Syria (cf Statistiska centralbyr?. I understand that many of the Somalis immigrating to Sweden have had no formal education and can neither read nor write. Even if they can successfully complete SFI and master the fundamentals of the Swedish language they could not compete successfully in the employment market.