Good news at last for work permit holders in Sweden
This week: Work permit updates and enjoying Sweden's Midsummer celebrations. For Membership+ subscribers: Swedes ditch traditional surnames, racism in Stockholm nightclubs, and a slap on the wrist for the government over citizenship slowdown.
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In this week's episode we talk about how to make the most of Sweden's Midsummer celebrations, and we look at big changes to Sweden's work permit system — including a new rule that could help you stay in the country if you lose your job.
For Membership+ subscribers we explore why Swedes are dropping traditional surnames, racism in Swedish nightclubs, and why party leaders have been reprimanded after calling for a slow down in citizenship processing.
Host Richard Orange is joined this week by regular panelists Becky Waterton and James Savage.
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Here are links to some of the topics discussed in the episode:
Donation
Work permits
Midsummer
Racism
Swedish citizenship
You can listen to the free episode here:
Or follow Sweden in Focus wherever you listen to podcasts.
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Local Sweden
2 days ago
- Local Sweden
Inside Sweden: What do those stats about immigrants' net contribution actually mean?
The Local's editor Emma Löfgren rounds up the biggest stories of the week in our Inside Sweden newsletter. Advertisement Hej, 'Sweden long had an overly generous migration policy which led to a rapid increase in the number of immigrants. The government and the Sweden Democrats are now implementing a paradigm shift which is significantly reducing immigration to Sweden. However, to better understand the long-term consequences of the previous policy and to learn lessons for the future, more knowledge and analysis is needed.' That was the first paragraph of an opinion piece published by the Moderates, Christian Democrats and Sweden Democrats in the Aftonbladet newspaper last summer, in which they announced that the government had ordered Sweden's National Institute of Economic Research (NIER) to calculate the net effects of immigration on the economy. NIER's report was published last week, but it has mostly flown under the radar. It's perhaps no surprise that the government hasn't been wanting to shout about it from the rooftops, as it shows that not only do immigrants as a group have a positive net contribution to the Swedish economy – it's in fact greater than that of native Swedes. Let's get one thing out of the way first: NIER warns that the figures in its report should be taken with a pinch of salt – certain expenses and incomes can either not be calculated directly or the available data is not broken down on an individual level, such as healthcare or infrastructure, so many of them are based on assumptions. The figures also do not take into account other effects of immigration in the Swedish economy, such as higher productivity or effects on the labour market. And it's purely based on contribution as a financial transaction – for example if I need healthcare I'm taking money out of the state and if I pay tax it's money into the state. It doesn't take into account 'soft' contributions such as getting involved in community events or just being a nice neighbour – I think it's important not to forget about those things. Advertisement Anyway, the report found that foreign-born people as a group contributed six billion kronor to Sweden's public finances in 2022, whereas native Swedes had almost exactly the opposite figures, with a negative net contribution of six billion kronor. But what I think is almost more important than the stats, is looking at the why. For example, a major reason why native Swedes have a negative net contribution is that this group includes a large number of children, young people and pensioners, which means that it has high costs associated with children and the elderly's needs – groups that don't pay as much money into the system because they're not working. Similarly, Finns as a group have a substantial negative net contribution, because many Finns who arrived as labour migrants between 1950 and 1970 are now middle aged or older, meaning that they have high costs for pensions, healthcare and elderly care. If you break it down to 'refugees' and 'other immigrants', refugees as a group have a negative net contribution (but it's been rising in recent years). This is because refugees arrive without a job so they don't immediately start paying into the system – but if you look at refugees who've been in Sweden longer, their net contribution is positive. Indians have by far the highest net contribution to the Swedish economy – in fact enough to offset the entire negative contribution of people born in Sweden. This is because most Indians moving to Sweden already have highly-qualified jobs ready when they arrive in the country and work in highly-paid industries such as tech. Most Indians in Sweden arrived in the past decade or so, so they're at peak working age. Advertisement But all of this is a snapshot, based on figures from 2022. It doesn't take into account the lifetime Swedish pensioners spent working, or the decades newly arrived refugees will spend paying into the system as soon as they enter the labour market. If anything, looking only at the financial benefit to the Swedish state, it's obvious from the report that more barriers need to be removed for foreigners trying to get a foot through the door of the labour market, and that decision-makers need to stop implementing policies that are actively turning work permit holders away. But what it mainly tells me rather than who is financially valuable (!) and who isn't, is that these things come and go in waves. Every single one of us goes through phases of life when we pay into the system and phases when we take our fair share out of it. And the key difference is where we are in life, rather than our immigration status. Immigrants, work permit holders, native Swedes, refugees, trailing spouses, children, pensioners – we all contribute to the world around us in our own individual way. What does the word 'contribution' mean to you? I'd love to hear your thoughts. Before I move on to the rest of the top stories we've covered this week, I just want to take a moment to say that we've been overwhelmed by the response to our appeal last week for donations to help us do the journalism that matters to you. Thank you to everyone who has donated, shared the appeal, or is just here reading us. Advertisement In other news This week's episode of Sweden in Focus Extra for Membership+ subscribers features an interview with Indian lawyer Aakritee Tiwari. My latest budget tip is to swap your morning coffee for a cauliflower (not really). Anyone running the Copenhagen-Malmö Bridge Run this weekend? If not, here's what you need to know about how it will affect travel – and where you can watch. GAMES: Have you tried The Local's games for Membership+ subscribers yet? We've got a new crossword and word search puzzle out now Good news at last for work permit holders. The rule that if you want to change employer in the first two years you have to get a new permit will be scrapped next year – and the grace period for laid-off work permit holders will be extended (for some). More than 30 teachers at the IES school chain have lost their permanent contracts and either been made redundant or moved into other roles after Sweden's Schools Inspectorate criticised the group for its use of teachers without a Swedish certification. Swedish property prices saw a modest increase in May. Advertisement In many ways, Sweden grinds to a halt during the summer, as workers head out to the countryside for a well-earned rest. That's not quite true though – here are the new laws and other changes in store for June, July and August. I really enjoyed speaking with Francisca Leonardo, or Frankie, for our My Swedish Career interview this week. She shares the story of how a major health scare, just a couple of years after arriving in Sweden from Canada, sparked a radical career change: from biotechnology to running her own, unique travel brand in Stockholm. After a disappointing spring for much of the country, this weekend brings with it hotter temperatures, with the mercury potentially hitting 27 or 28C in Stockholm on Sunday. Thanks for reading, Emma Löfgren Editor, The Local Sweden Inside Sweden is our weekly newsletter for members which gives you news, analysis and, sometimes, takes you behind the scenes at The Local. It's published each Saturday and with Membership+ you can also receive it directly to your inbox.
Local Sweden
2 days ago
- Local Sweden
Good news at last for work permit holders in Sweden
This week: Work permit updates and enjoying Sweden's Midsummer celebrations. For Membership+ subscribers: Swedes ditch traditional surnames, racism in Stockholm nightclubs, and a slap on the wrist for the government over citizenship slowdown. Advertisement In this week's episode we talk about how to make the most of Sweden's Midsummer celebrations, and we look at big changes to Sweden's work permit system — including a new rule that could help you stay in the country if you lose your job. For Membership+ subscribers we explore why Swedes are dropping traditional surnames, racism in Swedish nightclubs, and why party leaders have been reprimanded after calling for a slow down in citizenship processing. Host Richard Orange is joined this week by regular panelists Becky Waterton and James Savage. Advertisement Here are links to some of the topics discussed in the episode: Donation Work permits Midsummer Racism Swedish citizenship You can listen to the free episode here: Or follow Sweden in Focus wherever you listen to podcasts. Advertisement Get Membership+ to listen to all The Local's podcasts Sign up now and get early, ad-free access to a full-length episode of the Sweden in Focus podcast every weekend, as well as Sweden in Focus Extra every Wednesday. Please visit the link that applies to you and get a 40% discount on Membership+ Read more about Membership+ in our help centre. Already have Membership+ but not receiving all the episodes? Go to the podcast tab on your account page to activate your subscription. Advertisement
Local Sweden
3 days ago
- Local Sweden
Which immigrants contribute most to the Swedish economy – and why?
A new report from Sweden's National Institute of Economic Research (NIER) shows that people born outside of Sweden represent a greater net gain to the economy than those born in the country. But how do the figures differ based on country of origin? Advertisement What's the background behind the report? NIER (also known as Konjunkturinstitutet or KI in Swedish) was tasked by the government back in 2023 to put together a report investigating the net contribution of people born outside the country to that of those born in Sweden. It was told specifically to look at the net cost or benefits of immigration split into asylum seekers and other immigrants and broken down on a country-by-country level. These numbers reflect the state's income from each group (through taxes, for example) minus the cost of public services used by each group, like for example schools, healthcare, pensions and benefits. The most recent data used in the report is from 2022, as that was the last full year of data available at the time it was written. Essentially, a positive net contribution for a particular group means that that group's resources are effectively redistributed to a different group through public finances. Some groups, for example children and the elderly, generally have a negative net contribution, as they pay less tax and use expensive public services like schools, preschool, pensions, care and healthcare. Others, for example people of working age, generally have a positive net contribution, effectively earning money and paying tax to fund other groups in society. The time spent in Sweden also plays a role. Some more established immigrant groups, for example Chileans, many of whom arrived in Sweden in the 1970s and 80s, have had a long time to find work and become established on the labour market, meaning that their net contributions are positive ‒ Chileans contributed 0.8 billion kronor to the Swedish economy in 2022, while that figure was much lower at -2.1 billion in 1990. The same can be said for people from Lebanon, who contributed -1.9 billion to the Swedish economy in 1990, but 0.3 billion in 2022. Advertisement If you look at people born in Finland, they generally have a negative net contribution as many have aged out of the labour market, meaning increased pension and healthcare costs and decreased tax income. There are a large number of children and young people in the figures for people born in Sweden, as well as pensioners, which means that this group has high costs associated with an elderly population as well as child-related costs, like childcare and schooling. Most Indians moving to Sweden are already highly-qualified when they arrive in the country and work in highly-paid jobs in industries like tech, meaning that they use fewer public services than other groups ‒ Sweden does not have to pay for their schooling or subsidise their university places ‒ while many refugees from countries such as Syria have not yet lived in Sweden long enough to become established on the labour market. Advertisement NIER predicts that the contributions of immigrants as a percentage of GDP will rise from the current level of around 0.1 percent to as much as 3 percent by 2060, despite many immigrants ageing and leaving the labour market during this time. The institute warns more generally that the figures in its report should be taken with a pinch of salt – certain expenses and incomes can either not be calculated directly or the available data is not broken down on an individual level, such as figures for schools, healthcare, infrastructure or indirect taxes like employer fees, so many of them are based on assumptions. The figures also do not take into account other affects of immigration on the Swedish economy, such as higher productivity, effects on the labour market, or "soft" contributions. Below is a list of the figures for all countries listed in NIER's study, including Sweden. Countries included were the registered birth country of at least 15,000 people living in Sweden in 2022.
