The Labour Market Integration of New Immigrants in Europe: Analysis and Policy Evaluation

Catching Up: The Labor Market Integration of New Immigrants in Sweden

The considerable diversity among Sweden's immigrants reflects a humanitarian migration policy. Refugees have arrived in the country since the 1970s and 1980s, with their countries of origin shifting according to the ethnic and political conflicts of any given period. Sweden is also a longstanding magnet for labor migration from surrounding Scandinavia, and has attracted mobile EU citizens since its entry into the European Union in 1995—and especially following the EU enlargements of 2004 and 2007. Sweden's immigration flows continue to change today, as policy reforms in 2008 allowed employers to bring non-EU labor migrants to the country for the first time in decades.

This report assesses how new immigrants to Sweden fare in the country's labor market. It shows that employment rates during newcomers’ initial years in Sweden are relatively depressed for low-educated refugees and migrants who come based on family ties, in comparison to natives and labor migrants from EU countries. Since Sweden's refugees and family arrivals are not selected through employment-related criteria, they are likely to lack locally in-demand skills and are often out of work in the years immediately after arrival. The obstacles these groups face can be exacerbated by certain features of Sweden’s labor market, such as high minimum wages, a relatively small pool of low-skilled jobs, and stringent employment protection for permanent work.

Additional details

Author(s)

  • Pieter Bevelander and Nahikari Irastorza

Related content

Moving Up or Standing Still? Access to Middle-Skilled Work for Newly Arrived Migrants in the European Union

The Labour Market Integration of New Immigrants in Europe: Analysis and Policy Evaluation

Moving Up or Standing Still? Access to Middle-Skilled Work for Newly Arrived Migrants in the European Union

Building an Integration System: Policies to Support Immigrants’ Progression in the Czech Labor Market

The Labour Market Integration of New Immigrants in Europe: Analysis and Policy Evaluation

Building an Integration System: Policies to Support Immigrants’ Progression in the Czech Labor Market

Slow Motion: The Labour Market Integration of New Immigrants in France

The Labour Market Integration of New Immigrants in Europe: Analysis and Policy Evaluation

Slow Motion: The Labour Market Integration of New Immigrants in France

Moving Up the Ladder? Labor Market Outcomes in the United Kingdom Amid Rising Immigration

The Labour Market Integration of New Immigrants in Europe: Analysis and Policy Evaluation

Moving Up the Ladder? Labor Market Outcomes in the United Kingdom Amid Rising Immigration

A Work in Progress: Prospects for Upward Mobility Among New Immigrants in Germany

The Labour Market Integration of New Immigrants in Europe: Analysis and Policy Evaluation

A Work in Progress: Prospects for Upward Mobility Among New Immigrants in Germany

Benign Neglect? Policies to Support Upward Mobility for Immigrants in the United Kingdom

The Labour Market Integration of New Immigrants in Europe: Analysis and Policy Evaluation

Benign Neglect? Policies to Support Upward Mobility for Immigrants in the United Kingdom

A Tumultuous Decade: Employment Outcomes of Immigrants in the Czech Republic

The Labour Market Integration of New Immigrants in Europe: Analysis and Policy Evaluation

A Tumultuous Decade: Employment Outcomes of Immigrants in the Czech Republic

A Precarious Position: The Labor Market Integration of New Immigrants in Spain

The Labour Market Integration of New Immigrants in Europe: Analysis and Policy Evaluation

A Precarious Position: The Labor Market Integration of New Immigrants in Spain

No Quick Fix: Policies to Support the Labor Market Integration of New Arrivals in Sweden

The Labour Market Integration of New Immigrants in Europe: Analysis and Policy Evaluation

No Quick Fix: Policies to Support the Labor Market Integration of New Arrivals in Sweden

Turning a Corner? How Spain Can Help Immigrants Find Middle-Skilled Work

The Labour Market Integration of New Immigrants in Europe: Analysis and Policy Evaluation

Turning a Corner? How Spain Can Help Immigrants Find Middle-Skilled Work

Many immigrants in Europe struggling to move out of low-skilled jobs; European governments have opportunities to prioritize policies to...

Joint ILO MPI reports

Many immigrants in Europe struggling to move out of low-skilled jobs; European governments have opportunities to prioritize policies to...

Aiming Higher: Policies to get Immigrants into Middle-Skilled Work in Europe

The Labour Market Integration of New Immigrants in Europe: Analysis and Policy Evaluation

Aiming Higher: Policies to get Immigrants into Middle-Skilled Work in Europe