According to data from the Swedish Labour Force Surveys (LFS), with longer duration of residence, employment increases substantially among refugees. The new data is published by Statistics Sweden in a new thematic report.

This thematic report examines employment for persons aged 20 - 64 years who immigrated to Sweden as refugees or as family members of refugees. The focus is on analysing employment in 2019 based on a number of background factors, such as continent of birth, duration of residence in Sweden, and educational attainment.

The report includes a comparison between the employment rate of refugees and family members, other foreign born people, and people born in Sweden. From 2010 - 2019, there was a general increase in the employment rate of all population groups, with the exception of women in the group of refugee immigrants.

Employment rates vary considerably between different parts of the population and between the sexes. The employment rate for refugees and family members aged 20 - 64 years was 59.9 % in 2019, for example, compared with 77.3 % for other foreign born people and 86.2 % for people born in Sweden. Among refugees and family members, the employment rate was 67.1 % for men, and 51 % for women.

The employment rate of refugees and their family members varies by continent of birth. However, when duration of residence in Sweden is taken into account, these differences decrease significantly - the longer a person has lived in Sweden, the more likely they are to be employed.

The gender gap in employment also narrows with a longer duration of residence in Sweden. The employment rate among refugee immigrants who have lived in Sweden for 0-9 years was 56.1 % among men and 29.8 % among women. Among people who have lived in Sweden for 20 years or longer, the employment rate was found to be around 80 % for both men and women.