International Organization for Migration (IOM)

Improving Access to Labour market Information for migrants and employers
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2. Patterns of access, use and perception of labour market
information by employers and migrants in the context of
recruitment from abroad
2.1. Demand side: employers’ perspective
Employer awareness
Awareness of the legal migration channels differs between different sectors and
sizes of employers. Larger employers are more likely to be aware of the recruitment
opportunities, as are employers who are active on an international market. Furthermore,
employers are unlikely to be aware of the opportunities if they have no need to recruit
from third countries (CSE, 2012). Once an employer has decided to look into recruiting
migrant workers, they are likely to turn to the Swedish Migration Board.
The Migration Board’s website is the primary source for employers to find information
on how to recruit employees from third countries. Since there is only one legal
channel for labour migration the general information on the subject is easy to find
and understand. A survey performed by the Migration Board shows that 86 per cent
of the users of their website are satisfied with the information provided (MB, 2012).
Other websites that are used to a lesser extent are those belonging to the Swedish
Public Employment Service and the Swedish Institute.
The Confederation of Swedish Enterprise provides information on the possibility
to recruit from third countries through their website and informs their member
organizations about changes in regulations (CSE, 2012). In sectors with difficulties
finding employees, the employer associations are usually active in providing
information to their members. One example is the Forestry and Agricultural
Employer Association that organizes employers in forestry, agriculture, veterinary
care, golf and horticulture. These industries are dependent on seasonal labour that
can be difficult to recruit in Sweden. They have, for example, published a guide
on how to proceed when recruiting workers from the EU and outside the EU. 82
Furthermore, they have organized a series of meetings to inform their members about
the opportunities for recruiting from abroad. At these meetings representatives from
the Tax Authorities, the Swedish Public Employment Service and the Migration
Board were present to inform about the different regulations (CSE, 2012).
Procedure
The liberal labour migration regulation presented in December 2008 has made it
a great deal easier to come to Sweden as a labour migrant (CSE, HRF; 2012). The
procedures for recruiting and applying for a work permit in Sweden are simple and
non-bureaucratic. The main difficulty for employers is not the procedure itself, but
the length of the process of obtaining a work permit for the employee.
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