Public-private cooperation regarding newly arrived immigrants in Sweden Goran Sehovac, the Swedish Public Employment Service
Content of presentation The Swedish Public Employment Service's role and responsibilities Current situation in Sweden The composition of the group Collaborating with the private sector, including recent initiatives
Introduction Act - Basic facts Regulated by law in Sweden 2010 Target group: adult refugees and others in need of protection who have a residence permit, and their close relatives Individuals aged 20-64, and 18-19 year-olds who enter Sweden without parents Main aim: to support newly arrived migrants to learn Swedish faster, find work and become self-sufficient
The introduction process Municipalities Migration Agency Early mapping Residence permit The Public Employment Service Introduction interview Place of residence The Public Employment Service Introduction plan Activities provided by PES and municipalities County Administrative Boards Introduction benefit Swedish Social Insurance Agency
Introduction plan Includes activities that facilitate the person s introduction to the labour market Outlined together with the new arrival and in collaboration with the parties concerned The minimum is SFI (Swedish for Immigrants), civic orientation and employment preparation activities Extends over a maximum of 24 months Activities are generally conducted full-time The plan ends if the individual has: Worked full-time for 6 months Started higher education Had a plan for 2 years
A high influx of migrants In May 2016, 56,056 individuals took part in the PES Introduction Programmes PES meets 2,500 new participants every month Explanation of who is registered at the Swedish Public Employment Service
Number of participants involved in the establishment programme at the end of the month, by gender
Number of participants involved in the establishment programme at the end of the month, by age
Dealing with varying educational backgrounds of migrants The need for a flexible introduction for migrants with higher education Opportunity to validate already existing competences and to take part in complementary education is important for this group Migrants that lack primary or lower secondary education Cooperation with the municipalities Important to find solutions for Swedish language learning
The need for more interaction and cooperation with employers The PES does not own the solution there has to be more intensive interaction and cooperation with employers (large or small) and employers organisations We need to make sure that the skills and experiences of migrants are maximized and not wasted in jobs that do not match their capacity Migrants are assets and can make a difference, we need them for future growth.
Recent initiatives Employer initiatives Sverige tillsammans - Sweden together the 100 club Äntligen jobb [Jobs at last] Welcome Talent Goverment Initatives The Fast Track Internship programme, government agencies The Swedish Transport Administration, social proviso
Sweden together the 100 club No government commission - appeal from the Swedish Government. Appeal to companies that can take on 100 people over a three-year period for internships, professional skills evaluation or employment. The Swedish Public Employment Service takes care of the cooperation as a matter of course in its normal duties. One nationwide telephone line One function in 11 organisational units within Swedish PES Meet employers and write a statement of intent Arrange meetings between employers and candidates Focus upon the companies need for the provision of skills Utilise various parts of the Swedish PES's programmes and schemes.
Sweden together - Challenges How to evaluate formal skills and education Unfamiliarity cooperating at different organisational levels Requires a great deal of introduction and supervision Equally important to introduce into the informal as well as the formal Good to clarify how to monitor the initiative Going from looking at social commitment to actually seeing the future need for the provision of skills
Welcome talent road show - initiative from enterprise Chambers of Commerce Swedbank LinkedIn Representation from the Ministries of Enterprise and Innovation and Employment Five pit-stops around Sweden, collecting over 2,000 internship placements. Swedish PES organises activities to stimulate recruitment and internship.
Assessment of skills and the Swedish fast tracks for refugees The aim of the fast tracks is to shorten the time it takes for newly arrived immigrants to get a job which is well-matched with their education and/or previous experience. The fast tracks primarily focus on areas of employment where there is a shortage of labour in Sweden. The fast tracks are being devised through tri-partite cooperation between the government (including various government agencies), trade unions and employers organisations
Fast tracks for refugees Act as both a method and a chain of activities to shorten the time it takes from arrival to the labour market. Act as a chain of activities such as self-assessment, profession-specific language training, internships, trade fairs, in-house skill assessment, bridging courses or vocational training.
Fast tracks currently exist for: - Pharmacists - Doctors - Nurses - Construction engineers - Chefs - Butchers - Teachers/preschool teachers - Painters - Social workers, social scientists - Social scientists, economists, lawyers - Truck drivers