Government Raises Wage Requirement for Labor Immigrants in Sweden
On Wednesday, the Swedish government announced that the wage requirement for labor immigrants will be raised from 13,000 to 27,630 SEK. While some unions are critical of the exact figure, they believe that it is a step in the right direction.
The decision to increase the wage requirement comes into effect on November 1st. It means that individuals must now earn 80 percent of the median salary to be eligible to work in Sweden. The aim of this change is to reduce low-skilled labor immigration and combat fraud and abuse linked to labor immigration.
Joakim Oscarsson, contract secretary at Fastighets, which represents cleaners and property managers, suggests that the collective agreements should determine the salary levels. This would prevent companies without collective agreements from offering lower salaries and competing unfairly. He believes that the government should have made the collective agreements a requirement, including the terms of the agreement, to protect workers who have been in the country for a long time.
Johan Engelsog, municipal contract secretary, supports the government’s decision. He believes that negotiating stable and long-term rules for labor immigration should be the responsibility of labor market parties, but acknowledges that the state had to intervene due to the failure of negotiations. Engelsog argues that Sweden’s liberal labor immigration policies have exposed individuals to blackmail and favored criminal actors.
Engelsog highlights that the care of the elderly sector, which requires significant manpower, will be particularly affected. He stresses the need to improve conditions to attract the existing workforce in Sweden to this sector. Furthermore, he suggests creating collective agreements that are adapted to labor immigration, including higher minimum wages.
Johan Lindholm, chairman of the association for Byggnads, shares Engelsog’s viewpoint and believes that the parties themselves should determine the wage levels. However, he acknowledges the necessity of raising the salary requirement to combat the previous system’s abuses and the resulting lack of trust. Lindholm sees the increase as a positive step forward.
The new wage requirement will affect all individuals who receive a work permit decision after November 1st. It applies to those who seek permission to work in Sweden from countries outside the EU. The government hopes that this change will address the issues related to labor immigration and create a more fair and trustworthy system.