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WORKING IN SWEDEN

‘Hard to know your rights’: three quarters of foreigners in Sweden afraid of losing job

With Sweden's economy likely to dip into recession next year, more than three-quarters of respondents to a survey by The Local have said they are "slightly" or "extremely" worried about losing their jobs.

'Hard to know your rights': three quarters of foreigners in Sweden afraid of losing job
A young adult looks for a job on the Swedish Employment Agency's home page. Photo: Jessica Gow/TT

Out of 53 respondents to our (highly unscientific) survey, 28 said they were “slightly worried” about losing their job and 13 “extremely worried”, with the remaining twelve saying they were not worried at all. 

Most of the foreign workers who weren’t worried either work in industries or companies expected to weather any downturn or have skills, such as IT programming, of which there is a shortage in Sweden. 

“I work in an area of IT that helps businesses reduce costs, so I expect my employer to be busier,” wrote Geoff, who lives in Stockholm. “I keep myself updated with the latest trending technologies,” added Sachin, who like Geoff works in IT. 

“My skills are needed in both Sweden and all over the world, and the company I work for can use my skills on those contracts,” said one American software engineer. 

Those who were more worried mainly worked in other fields.

One employee for a Swedish religious aid organisation said that a tenth of the staff had recently been made redundant, with a further 25 percent resigning in protest, and that he, as a result, now felt his position was insecure.  

READ ALSO: How will Sweden’s Employment Act reform impact foreigners?

What measures have people taken to make their financial positions more secure? 

There was a clear division among the survey’s respondents between those who have permanent residency, Swedish citizenship, or EU citizenship, and those who are employed in Sweden on a two-year work permit. 

“I am still waiting for my permanent residence permit,” said one. “There is a rule that requires you to be a permanent employee both at the time you apply and when the Migration Agency makes a decision. Current processing times are around six months and this creates a lot of uncertainties. If you lose your job while waiting for a decision, you will lose your right to permanent residence and it’s not clear how much time you will have to find a new job.” 

Although many of those on work permits were still members of an a-kassa, Sweden’s heavily subsidised unemployment insurance organisations, they said that they feared they would not receive the full benefits if they were made unemployed, as they risked being forced to leave Sweden. 

“If you are a permanent resident or citizen, the employee benefits from a-kassa and unemployment insurance is quite good,” one wrote. “But this doesn’t apply if you are on a temporary work permit. In that case, you will still have to leave the country in three months if you can’t find a new job and I am not sure if you can continue receiving unemployment benefits once your work permit expires.” 

A few respondents said that they had taken out additional insurance on top of their a-kassa membership, so they would replace their full salary if made redundant, while others said that they had joined the union in their workplace. 

However, a significant number of the respondents said they were relying mainly on their own private protection, with several saying they had reduced their spending to build up a cash buffer, others saying they had built up an investment portfolio. 

In addition, many said they constantly sought to improve their value as an employee through in-work skills training, working hard and making themselves indispensable. 

How did respondents rate the employment protection in Sweden? 

In general, respondents rated the system of employment protection in Sweden quite highly, with the 53 respondents rating it at seven out of ten, on a scale from “poor” to “excellent”. 

Source: Typeform/The Local

Strong employee rights and a fairly equal health system are important elements of Sweden’s system,” wrote one respondent approvingly, while another said it was a comfort to know that “there is a process that is more or less in your favour”. 

Several respondents added, however, that the system was confusing and difficult to navigate for foreigners. 

“Coming from a country where employment laws are written to protect the employer, it’s hard to know all of your rights in Sweden, said one, while another said the employment protection laws were “hard to navigate as an immigrant”. 

Some questioned how useful Sweden’s unions were when employers were abusing the system, with the charity employee saying he was “not impressed with the Swedish union model” on the basis of his experience. 

“The effectiveness of the union depends too much on inexperienced, ineffective local staff, and unions do not have real teeth they can use in a case where an employer just ignores them,” he argued.

“As strange as it sounds, an employer that is not negotiating in good faith can just ignore and exhaust union demands and complaints. The union is reluctant to take things beyond sending written complaints to the employer. Even in cases where age discrimination occurs, the penalties are so small that claims are not worth pursuing.” 

Are foreigners planning on taking advantage of the new opportunities for retraining? 

Under new employment reforms which came into force in October, employees in Sweden are entitled to special loans for retraining courses, called omställningsstudiestödet. All employees can from this month apply for a loan for courses starting in January.

Nearly 70 percent of respondents said they would be interested in taking advantage of the new scheme. 

Member comments

  1. I worked in the US for a few years, and was on a temporary visa while awaiting a green card (like permanent residence). Unfortunately, there was a massive downturn and my company retrenched, cutting my entire team. I lost my work permit, and had to leave the US. It was a bit stressful for a while, but certainly not the end of the world, as there the world abounds with opportunity. In some respects, looking back, such unwanted change leads to opportunity, including a dynamic and interesting life. So – my message is that those who feel vulnerable and worried about leaving Sweden should keep their heads up and realize that change, even if forced, isn’t always a bad thing and is often should be looked upon as an opportunity and experience. To use an American expression, “go for it”. If you do – you won’t be sorry.

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MY SWEDISH CAREER

My Swedish Career: ‘I went freelance and don’t regret it for a second’

Irish journalist, author and former musician Philip O’Connor managed to start off his career in journalism by 'shooting at the moon'. He has since been creating a digital footprint for those with links to Ireland and setting up community events in Stockholm.

My Swedish Career: 'I went freelance and don't regret it for a second'

When Philip walked into one of his favourite restaurants in Märsta, feeling nervous and somewhat guilty since he was going in to ask for a job, it went better than anticipated.

“I went in one night to ask for a job. I had been in there before, and I was kind of friendly with the two sons. I kind of felt embarrassed going in there and asking for a job because it really was the last chance saloon for me.”

But he didn’t even have to ask for the job himself.

“The eldest son said, ‘Oh, here, here’s a beer. I’ll be right back to you in a second’ and I went in there with my tail between my legs. He came out and said, look, normally I wouldn’t ask but I am desperate for somebody to work here. Could you possibly consider walking a few shifts here? I said ‘ah yeah, I’ll do you the favour’,” he tells The Local, laughing.

When Philip first arrived in Sweden in 1999, guitar in hand, he thought that a new country and atmosphere would give him the chance he needed to go further with his music career. However, a new issue appeared. One night when he got on stage he just froze.

“I went there to play in O’Connor’s pub out in Uppsala on the square and for the first time in my life, I got stage fright. I was standing there, and I didn’t understand what it was until years later.”

As he continued to work in the restaurant, his passion for creativity was still in the back of his mind.

With the experience he had writing for music magazines and working in local radio in Ireland, he started to apply for work in media companies. However, that proved to be more difficult than expected. Having gone through a long list of potential media outlets that could take him on for either work placement or for work, he received nothing back.

“There’s a big difference between Ireland and Sweden in terms of, in Ireland, if you have the gift of the gab, if you have the ability to talk your way into situations, you don’t need pieces of paper or anything else like that. If you just, fake it till you make it kind of thing, that works. That didn’t work in Sweden.”

CAREER TIPS:

He then took the opportunity to do an IT course at Komvux, Sweden’s adult education centre, which he used as a backdoor to get into the job he really wanted. Following the completion of that course, Philip, once again, set out to apply for jobs in media organisations and went through a long list. He had no luck until he got to the last name on the list, Reuters – the worldwide news agency.

“Talk about shooting at the moon. I sent off the email thinking, there’s absolutely no chance that these people are going to let me in the door.”

“About 10 minutes later, I got a phone call and they said, yeah, we need somebody to come in on work experience here to help out in the IT department.”

2002 and now working in the IT department with Reuters, it provided Philip with the perfect opportunity to work his way up. Just a few hours after starting his work experience, he was offered a part-time job with the company.

He went on to write a variety of articles within the IT department, which included, how to set up the computer, set passwords and how to store files. This then led him into writing news articles for the company.

“As long as you worked hard and you were in the right environment, people noticed, and I found that to be really refreshing. Because oftentimes you’ll find that you work hard and people either don’t notice or they don’t care or they’re happy enough for what you’re doing, and they just want to leave you there,” he says.

In 2006 he wrote sport-related articles for the news agency before later taking over the sports department at the end of the decade. This position was a freelance contract and required him to decide on whether to take it or not, but he jumped at the opportunity.

“The moment I was told here’s the sports, but it’s freelance, I said where do I resign. It was a case of going out the front door and coming in through the backdoor as a freelancer. So, I had to give up a sort of a permanent pensionable job with a company car to take a freelance contract and I don’t regret it for a second.”

READERS REVEAL:

After spending over two decades in Stockholm and continuing to work freelance, Philip now also spends his time trying to create a sense of community among the Irish population in Sweden.

Through his podcast, Irish In Sweden, he speaks to people with a variety of backgrounds, from those who are involved in the Irish societies in Sweden, to business owners, politicians and everyone in between. However, the definition of Irish is flexible, he explains, since there was a woman on the podcast who owns a bookstore in Gothenburg, but her parents are Irish.

“As long as those who have a story to share that would be of interest to the Irish listenership then they are welcome on the podcast,” he says.

Philip O’Connor runs the Global Gael and Irish in Sweden podcasts. Photo: Private

He created the podcast as a time capsule which captures the lives of those with Irish links living in Sweden, noting that Ireland lost all records dating before the 1840s, when the Public Record Office of Ireland was burned in 1922 during the civil war.

“Who are we as an Irish community, pass that along to the younger generations, and just for them to understand, the culture, the way we speak English, it’s quite unique. We have our own language as well. To pass on all those things, and that perspective and history.”

In October 2022, Philip expanded his podcast offering by creating a global stage for the Irish around the world. The Global Gael podcast offers the opportunity for those who have gone on to do a wide variety of things, from journalism to sport and actors to ambassadors.

Creating a sense of community in Stockholm, not only for the Irish, is another task he aims to complete. He is able to do this through teaching kids how to podcast, from planning and preparation to recording. He has also coached soccer as well as Gaelic games, a sport native to Ireland and a cross between soccer and rugby, and he teaches Brazilian jiu jitsu at least twice a week in Jakobsberg.

Along with that he mentors young journalists both in Sweden and around the world, through helping them develop and opening doors for them.

“Many of them would be from a similar background to me – usually with an immigrant background and coming from a non-academic home and without the natural networks that might exist for people whose families have previously been involved in media,” he says.

“These are often the kinds of people that aren’t heard in media, and their perspective is vital to understanding who we are as a society, and where we want to go.”

“All of these things, it’s community,” he says.

He says the podcasts aren’t only engaging for Irish people, but also for others thanks to the diverse selection of topics discussed and the people who he interviews.

“The podcasts are what I hope and believe will be what I end up doing long-term, but building an audience is like going into battle every day – it’s a very competitive sector and people only have so much time and attention! That said, it’s a great medium and harks back to where I started in community radio.”

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