Sweden remains in a recession, with unemployment particularly high among those born abroad, according to a recent press release from the Swedish Ministry of Labour.
The ministry noted that the country is seeing its highest unemployment rate in ten years, excluding the Covid-19 pandemic period.
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Measures to tackle unemployment
The current recession is expected to bottom out this year. Despite this, unemployment remains a pressing issue, especially for foreign-born workers.
The unemployment rate among people aged 15-74 stands at 8.3 percent, unchanged from the previous quarter but higher compared to last year.
"More people must join the workforce. Outsiders and subsidy dependency need to be met with measures in many different areas," Labour Market and Integration Minister Johan Pehrson said.
"Everyone who finds themselves on the outside (of the job market) has a big personal responsibility to make themselves employable, for example, by learning Swedish, getting an education, and acquiring knowledge about how Swedish society works. In the budget bill for 2024, the government has invested even more in vocational training to get more people into work", Pehrson added.
Professional skills in high demand
The press release noted that there is a high demand for vocational skills at the upper secondary school level, and that Swedish employers in both the private and public sectors struggle to find labour with the right qualifications.
Vocational training is considered a key part of reducing overall unemployment and the number of long-term unemployed workers.
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Therefore, the ministry sees continued investment in adult vocational education as essential.
The 2024 budget also includes an investment for approximately 18,500 new places in regional vocational training programmes and 3,000 places at universities of applied sciences, the ministry said.
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