Half of young Swedes are in temporary jobs

Temporary employment in Sweden is now back at the same level it was when the country was on the brink of financial crisis in 2007, according to a report by Statistics Sweden due for release on Friday and leaked to Sweden's Trade Union Confederation and Swedish news network SVT.

 

The study shows that 20 percent of the country's workforce has a job with a limited time frame.

 

Among young people aged 16 to 25, the figure shoots up to 52 percent.

 

The report also suggests that a higher proportion of women lack permanent roles compared to men.

 

"It's an absurd situation," the union's vice president Tobias Baudin told SVT.

 

"We see that many young adults today sleep with their phone under their pillow or stand with their phone in the shower, terrified to miss that job that means they can get out and work for a few hours," he said.

 

In total, more than 618, 000 people are in temporary jobs in Sweden, according to the new figures, with those in the the hotel, restaurant and leisure industries worst affected.

 

Employers Organisation ALMEGA has defended the statistics, saying that there has not been a "significant increase" in temporary workers since 2013 and adding that these kind of staff offer companies greater flexibility and often end up in long term roles.

 

"There is a large stream of temporary employees that continually move into permanent employment," ALMEGA's CEO Jonas Milton told SVT.

 

Unemployment in Sweden is currently at 7.8 percent. The latest Employment Service figures released in September suggested a small drop in the number of people looking for jobs, with more women returning to the workforce.