Could this be the start of a liberal shift on work permits?
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Much of Swedish politics for the past ten years has been a muscle-flexing contest between political parties about who can be toughest on immigration. Anyone wanting to loosen the rules has had trouble getting heard.
With remarkably little distinction made between refugees, skilled workers and unskilled workers, or between people already here wanting to stay and people wanting to come for the first time, parties from the Social Democrats on the left to the Sweden Democrats on the right have been desperate for voters to know that they are not a soft touch. The result has been tougher rules on everything from permanent residence and citizenship to family reunification — and work permits.
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But a move by the Liberals this week shows that when it comes to work permits, the debate is shifting. Labour market minister Johan Britz, a Liberal, came out against the government's plans to raise the salary threshold for work permits to 37,100 kronor a month. 'It's time to pull the handbrake,' he said, claiming that the move is 'not good for Sweden.'
The Liberals' new line represents a growing strain of opinion on the business-friendly right. The Confederation of Swedish Enterprise - a powerful lobby group with deep pockets — is increasingly noisy in its protests against the higher salary threshold. And puny as the Liberals are (they're the smallest party in parliament and their current poll ratings are microscopic), as members of the governing coalition they can make their presence felt.
But how far are they willing to go? They have already committed to raising the salary requirement in the Tidö agreement, the 2022 deal on which the government is founded. Assuming the Sweden Democrats don't cave, is blocking the raised salary threshold the hill that the Liberals will die on? Probably not, despite Johan Britz's strident tone.
But the Liberals are in a deep, deep hole - it's been years since they last polled over the four percent needed to stay in parliament. Something needs to change, and if that means ruffling feathers to highlight why they are different from Ulf Kristersson's Moderates (not to mention the Sweden Democrats), then so be it. And their stance on this issue has the advantage of being, well, liberal.
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Trying to appeal to pro-business liberal sentiment by shouting a pro- (labour) immigration message from the rooftops could help them win a few voters from the Moderates. The Liberals might think they've identified a political space they can credibly occupy.
In other words, Johan Britz's move this week is partly the kind of tactical move we'll be seeing many of over the next year as next September's election approaches. Parties need to define why they exist, and none are more desperate to do so than small parties in a governing coalition.
But what of the issue itself? Businesses insist they are struggling to get sufficiently-qualified workers to fill key vacancies.
Opponents of labour migration counter that companies should train people from the large pool of unemployed people already here; many businesses retort that the headline jobless figures mask the fact that Sweden's unemployed mostly lack even high-school diplomas and are therefore hard to train up for many of the qualified roles needed. And recent reports of Sweden's low birthrate has raised awareness that immigration will be needed to keep the economy afloat when people now in their fifties hit retirement age. Maybe the Liberals have finally hit on an idea that will resonate?
Politics in Sweden is The Local's weekly analysis, guide or look ahead to what's coming up in Swedish politics. Update your newsletter settings to receive it directly to your inbox.
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