Observation (CEACR) - adoptée 2012, publiée 102ème session CIT (2013)

Convention (n° 122) sur la politique de l'emploi, 1964 - Suède (Ratification: 1965)

Articles 1, 2 and 3 of the Convention. Active labour market policies. Consultation with the social partners. The Committee notes the Government’s report for the period ending in June 2012, including replies provided to previous comments formulated in 2011. The Government states that since its last report the labour market has gradually improved in Sweden. It reports that the positive development seen in the labour market over the past two years can be attributed to both the recovery and Government reforms. It indicates that the focus of Government reforms is on strengthening the conditions for groups with a weak foothold in the labour market, such as young people, people with a foreign background and other groups with high long-term unemployment, to obtain work. Signs that the reforms have improved the labour market’s functioning include labour force participation and employment levels, which have increased among young, middle-aged and older people. The Committee notes that the labour force participation rate was 71 per cent in 2011. Compared to 2010, the rate increased among women by 0.6 percentage points to 68 per cent, while the corresponding rate for men was 73.9 per cent. Despite these positive developments, the Government indicates that resource utilization in the labour market is low and traces of the financial crisis are still evident. On average, the number of unemployed persons was 378,000 in 2011, a decrease of 38,000 compared to 2010. The unemployment rate was 7.5 per cent in 2011, a decrease of 0.9 percentage points compared to the previous year. To address the weak developments in the labour market, the Government proposed a labour market package in the Budget Bill for 2012. This package includes measures to improve the Public Employment Service in the form of stronger support and mediation for those at risk of long-term unemployment and better monitoring of jobseeking activities. It also includes a higher quality and more activities in the special employment support mechanism and the job guarantee for young people. The Public Employment Service and the Swedish Social Insurance Administration were assigned in 2012 to expand their cooperation with the aim of reaching more people on long-term sick leave to help them return to the labour market. The Government states that its primary goal is to lead Sweden towards full employment through less exclusion. The value of work, which provides freedom, community, security, and opportunities, cannot be emphasized enough. It adds that changes have not only been carried out in labour market policy but also in other policy areas, including tax and education policies and social insurance. The Committee notes that in the long run, the Government is set on matching the Swedish education system both to new challenges in a globalized world and to the needs of the labour market. The Government indicates that more vocational training and a closer cooperation between schools and universities and the business community have been identified as measures to accommodate those needs. The Committee invites the Government to provide in its next report information on the effects of its labour market policies on sustainable and productive employment generation. It also invites the Government to include further information on the measures taken in the area of education and training policies and on their relation to prospective employment opportunities. Please also provide updated information on the consultations held with the social partners on the matters covered by the Convention, and the effects of the sickness insurance reform on employment.

Women, youth, long-term unemployed, immigrants and persons with disabilities. The Government indicates that unemployment spells are generally short in Sweden, but long-term unemployment is still high and the number of people who are long-term unemployed is likely to increase in the coming years. An important challenge will be to ensure that people facing long-term unemployment receive the support they need to find work, and at the same time prevent the number of long-term unemployed people from growing. The Committee notes that the number of long-term unemployed (defined as over 27 weeks) decreased from 132,000 in 2010 to 113,000 in 2011, corresponding to 33 per cent of the unemployed. With respect to young persons (age 15–24), the employment rate was 40.4 per cent in 2011, an increase of 1.9 percentage points compared to 2010. Among the foreign born (age 15–74), the employment rate was 56.2 per cent in 2011, an increase of one percentage point compared to the previous year. The unemployment rate was 22.9 per cent among youth and 15.8 per cent among the foreign born. The Government indicates that the Introduction Act has been in place for over a year and is geared towards helping newly arrived refugees and their families become established more quickly in the labour market. The Government has also appointed a commission to propose initiatives that will increase the labour market participation and speed up the establishment of newly arrived foreign-born women and immigrants joining their families in Sweden. With respect to persons with disabilities, the Government reports on its strategy for disability policy during 2011–16 and measures taken to help people with disabilities find employment. It further reports that in December 2011, the Public Employment Service together with the Swedish Agency for Government Employers, the Swedish Agency for Disability Policy Coordination (Handisam), the Swedish Work Environment Authority, and the central state employee organizations were assigned to develop a proposal for an internship programme at state authorities for persons with disabilities, including how it should be formed and implemented. The Committee would welcome continuing to receive detailed information on the efforts made to improve the employment situation of women, youth, long-term unemployed, immigrants and persons with disabilities.