International Organization for Migration (IOM)

Improving Access to Labour market Information for migrants and employers
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Iraqis only hire Iraqis. Additionally, almost all the 1,100 Iraqis that received a work
permit between the years 2009 and 2011 were hired into low-skilled jobs (Pelling
and Nordlund, 2012).
To conclude, people who want to move to Sweden to work can find plenty of good
information about the process of applying for a work permit and life in Sweden
through public channels. However, applying for a work permit requires a work offer,
and public resources are not available, since public authorities are not responsible for
the foreign recruitment process. Consequently, the majority of prospective migrants
use their already existing networks to find a job in Sweden. Highly skilled workers
have more networks to choose from, and are also more likely to be sought out by large
employers. Low-skilled workers are not in demand in Sweden, and are, therefore,
even more dependent on their personal connections.
3. Information-related barriers in the recruitment of
migrants already residing in the country
As shown in Table 9.1, there are employment difficulties for migrants in Sweden.
In the Spring Fiscal bill for 2012 the government highlights the following reasons
why foreign-born, and in particular humanitarian migrants, have difficulties
establishing themselves on the labour market: i) lack of education, ii) lack of language
skills, iii) difficulties in assessing skills acquired abroad, iv) high entry-level wages
in the labour market and the design of the Employment Protection Act, v) lack
of networks, vi) discrimination, and vii) lack of economic incentives (Ministry
of Finance, 2012, p. 114-115). The reasons are obviously linked to and concern
issues of a lack of human capital, information barriers and economic incentives.
Human capital is often the decisive factor when finding suitable work. Those
with higher education are more often employed than those with low education.
It is worth noting that the major efforts to improve labour market integration for
third-country nationals are language training and training to increase vocational
and professional skills. To be able to meet the needs on the labour market many
migrants need to improve their skills. Therefore all migrants with a residence permit
have access to free language training and the same rights to adult education and
labour market services as Swedish citizens. Newly arrived humanitarian migrants
also have the right to attend an introduction programme that includes language
tuition, civic orientation and work preparatory activities. However, education level
does not explain everything. More foreign-born people are overqualified for their
jobs (Statistics Sweden, 2008). Sixty per cent of foreign-born persons with higher
education have a qualified job in Sweden compared to about 90 per cent of nativeborn
graduates (Jusek, 2009). This mismatch of skills can, in part, be explained
by a depreciation of human capital when migrants move to Sweden, such as a lack
of language skills. As shown in studies, improved knowledge of Swedish has a
positive effect on immigrant earnings, and also generates an increased return on
the training and experience that existed prior to migration (Rooth and Åslund,
2006).