According to a new report released by the Swedish Public Employment Service (Arbetsförmedlingen), the number of employment opportunities for third country nationals (TCNs) – labour immigrants as well as refugees – in Sweden is rising.

The report states that the number of employment opportunities for recently-arrived TCNs in Sweden fell sharply between 2007 and 2017. This was mainly due to the high number of refugees arriving during this decade, many of whom initially lacked the skills and qualifications needed by the Swedish labour market. Since 2017, though, these same individuals are increasingly able to meet the relevant requirements and can therefore access the labour market and a wider range of opportunities. Alongside this, the number of immigrants from countries outside the European Union to Sweden has been decreasing since 2017.

Research carried out for this report covers the period from 1992 to 2022. It shows that while certain other groups of unemployed people see their likelihood of employment decrease over time, for migrants the trend is reversed: their job opportunities increase over time, due in large part to improvements in their Swedish language fluency and validation of their existing skills and qualifications.

The report finds that in the event of a major economic downturn it is important to take early measures to mitigate unemployment, aimed broadly at all unemployed groups. When deteriorating job opportunities are driven by an increase in specific groups without skills relevant to the labour market, however, measures should be targeted directly these groups. Measures here should include, for example, internships and subsidised employment and training.