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07 November 2017

Sweden: Refugees' way into the labour market (2000-2015 statistics)

Title

The insertion of foreign born populations in the labour market is important for both the society and the individual. New data from Statistics Sweden show that half of refugees received in municipalities in 2000 were employed 8 years after their arrival in Sweden. Men do better than women and the higher the education level the higher the chances to find a job. 

Statistics show that the level of education is an important factor. Men with at least upper secondary education got the fastest into employment, while women with low education have the lowest rate of employment. For example, after 15 years, 67% of women with upper secondary education were employed while 72% among those with post-secondary education were at work. The employment rate of refugee women with upper secondary education was however 21 points lower (37%) than domestic-born women with the same education level.

Gender is also an important factor as more men entered the labour market than women; nearly half of them acquired employment after six years. However, the difference between men and women decreases over time. By the end of 2015, 15 years after their arrival in the municipality, the proportion of men and women employed were 64 and 59 percent respectively. The employment rate for native born in the same year was 83% for men and 82% for women.

Note that during the first two years after receiving a residence permit in Sweden, the majority of refugees participate in some kind of education or introductory programme. This means a delayed entrance into the labour market and a share of employment that increase over time.

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Geographic area
Sweden
Source
Posted by
Lisa Pelling
Country Coordinator

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