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Emerging from crisis: Sweden’s active labour market policy and vulnerable groups

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2023

Marcela Kantová Open the ORCID record for Marcela Kantová [Opens in a new window]  and
Markéta Arltová
Marcela Kantová*
Affiliation:
HaskoningDHV Czech Republic, Czech Republic
Markéta Arltová
Affiliation:
University of Economics in Prague, Czech Republic
*
Marcela Kantová, HaskoningDHV Czech Republic, spol. s r.o., Sokolovská 100/94, 18600 Praha 8, Czech Republic. Email: marcela.kantova@rhdhv.com
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Abstract

Sweden has adopted an Active Labour Market Policy as a means of transitioning out of the economic crisis created by the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. The approach is to a significant extent reminiscent of that adopted following the 2008 Global Financial Crisis (GFC). The article examines the effectiveness of active labour market policy in Sweden over the period 2007–2012. By analysing these earlier policy outcomes, the aim is to assess the success of active labour market policy more broadly. The hypothesis that greater labour market flexibility allows the labour market policy to be more efficient is evaluated. With a focus on the labour supply, possible reasons for the reduced efficiency of state interventions are outlined using regression models. Conclusions derived from the models point to the failure of earlier Swedish active labour market policy towards the vulnerable groups of the unemployed, unemployed women and men aged 15–19 years and the long-term unemployed.

Keywords

J08J21J64Active labour market policyflexicuritymatching effectivenessSwedenunemployment

Information

Type
Original Articles
Information
The Economic and Labour Relations Review , Volume 31 , Issue 4 , December 2020 , pp. 543 - 564
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2020

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