Sweden's parliament last month voted through a law which will set the minimum salary for a work permit at 90 percent of Sweden's median wage, or 33,390 kronor, from June 1st, with the limit set to increase again in mid-June, when annual wage statistics are updated.
With less than 50 days to go before the new threshold comes into force, representatives said it was important that the government present its list of jobs exempted from the new threshold without delay.
"Our members need predictability to plan their operations. Therefore, it is crucial that the list of exemptions is presented as soon as possible," Sofia Råsmar, international recruitment specialist for Visita, which represents the hotel and hospitality industry, told The Local.
"Predictability is extremely important for out companies to be able to plan their operations," added Amelie Berg, labour market specialist at the Confederation of Swedish Industry. "If they have to cancel or interrupt their recruitment, this can affect the opportunities for the companies to be able to take a new assignment or develop their business."
The Swedish Migration Agency on March 20th submitted three lists of jobs could potentially be exempted from the upcoming higher salary threshold for a work permit to Johan Forssell, Sweden's migration minister. Depending on how restrictive the government chooses to be, it can opt to base the final exemptions on Migration Agency lists exempting 21, 55, or 81 jobs.
Three weeks later, the government has yet to take the next step and publish the final list of exemptions. Business groups complain that the only assurance they have received so far is that the list will be in place before the law comes into force on June 1st.
Råsmyr said that if the list comes only days before the threshold applies, it will make it impossible for restaurants and hotels to hire international staff in the run-up to the busy summer period.
"Depending on how the list turns out for the hospitality industry, it might be a missed opportunity to hire the right person," she said.
She cautioned against the idea that workers in the hospitality were always easily replaced or easy to find.
"Many of the people who come on work permits to the hospitality industry in Sweden do so precisely because they have a specific skill set," she said. "For example, it is not possible to replace a chef with just any other chef. As a result, businesses may not be able to remain open to the same extent, or might even have to close."
Berg said that the Migration Agency's decision to exclude jobs that do not even require upper secondary education would hit sectors such as farming and forestry hard, as they risk losing access to the foreign workers that they need.
"Some of them will be able to apply to come to Sweden as seasonal workers, through those rules, but those that normally come through the regular work permit system will not be able to come anymore," she said.
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