We compare the long-run labour market integration of the Former Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) refugees who arrived in the 1990s to the Scandinavian countries in the settings of Sweden and Denmark, respectively. These otherwise similar countries faced different economic conditions at the time of arrival and over the observation period. They also differed in terms of the restrictiveness of asylum policies and in attitudes towards immigration. Using register data from Statistics Sweden and Statistics Denmark, we show that FRY refugees, in both child and adult generations at arrival, are better integrated 12–15 years later in Sweden than in Denmark, even though Sweden experienced a higher level of unemployment than Denmark throughout the period. Our findings suggest that asylum policies promoting early labour market entry and early exposure to a host country's schooling system, as well as access to disability pension and social assistance, are important factors affecting refugee labour market integration. 

Although many studies compare national integration policies, analyses connecting these policies to integration outcomes are rare. This study combines longitudinal analysis of employment outcomes for Scandinavian refugees, with analyses of integration measures and policies to explain these differences. Can different usages of integration measures explain cross-national differences in employment outcomes between genders and with increased residence time? Moreover, can the countries' integration policies explain such differences? Our analyses show substantial cross-national differences. Danish male refugees are employed faster; however, Sweden catches up, and Norway surpasses Danish employment levels with increased residence time. Additionally, Norway has a substantially smaller gender gap in employment than Sweden and particularly Denmark. We demonstrate that different usages of integration measures may explain differences in outcomes. We conjecture that different policies regulating (1) financial benefits and (2) employment and self-sufficiency requirements for obtaining a secure legal status may reinforce differences in programme participation and employment patterns.

Under de senaste åren har ett stort antal flykting- och anhöriginvandrare kommit till Sverige. Samtidigt har tidigare forskning visat att det tar det lång tid för gruppen att etablera sig på arbetsmarknaden. En viktig del för att underlätta inträdet på arbetsmarknaden är deltagande i det så kallade etableringsprogrammet. I rapporten analyseras deltagande i olika aktiviteter inom ramen för programmet. Vad som framkommer är att en stor del av de nyanlända framförallt deltar i insatser av förberedande karaktär under programtiden. En förhållandevis liten andel tar del av arbetsmarknadsrelaterade insatser såsom arbetsmarknadsutbildning och subventionerad anställning. Vidare framkommer att det finns stora skillnader mellan män och kvinnor: kvinnor deltar i förberedande insatser under längre tid medan män i högre utsträckning tar del av arbetsmarknadsrelaterade insatser. Kvinnor gör också i högre utsträckning uppehåll i programmet på grund av föräldraledighet. 

I denna rapport görs ingående analyser av hur arbetsmarknadsinträdet sett ut för de senaste årens förhållandevis stora grupper av flykting- och anhöriginvandrare som kommit till Sverige. Beskrivningen kan bidra till en ökad förståelse för vilka utmaningar som politiker på både nationell och lokal nivå står inför på integrationsområdet. Den svenska arbetsmarknaden idag skiljer sig en del från hur det såg ut i mitten av 1980-talet när de första större grupperna av flykting- och anhöriginvandrare kom. Andelen, både bland befolkningen i stort men också bland flykting- och anhöriginvandrare, som arbetar inom industrin har minskat medan andelen sysselsatta inom tjänstesektorn har ökat. Det finns skäl att tro att denna utveckling bland annat har påverkat vilka krav på kunskaper i svenska som ställs på arbetsmarknaden. Den pågående strukturomvandlingen med en ökad automatisering och digitalisering har troligen också påverkat vilken typ av kompetens som efterfrågas på arbetsmarknaden. Sammantaget visar rapporten på att det tar förhållandevis lång tid för flykting- och anhöriginvandrare att etablera sig på den svenska arbetsmarknaden. Det finns också stora skillnader mellan män och kvinnor när det gäller både deltagande i aktiviteter inom etableringsprogrammet och etableringsmönster på arbetsmarknaden. Resultaten i rapporten baseras dels på registerdata från databasen STATIV som administreras av SCB, dels på data från Arbetsförmedlingens databas.

In the Nordic countries, activities for newly arrived refugees and family migrants are organized within introduction programmes and the question of which type of activities works for this group has recently gained increased attention. The programmes typically include language training, courses in civic orientation and labour-market-related activities. This contribution first describes how the introduction programmes are organized and which activities are included. It then summarizes research findings concerning the effectiveness of these activities. A recurring conclusion is that subsidized employment in the private sector is effective but that there is scope for increasing its use among immigrants.

This paper analyzes the timing between self-employment entry and first child birth among Swedish women, using register data for the cohort of women born between 1970 and 1975. We use longitudinal data, where we observe self-employment entry, childbirths, and self-employment outcomes during the period 1995 to 2013. The main research question is whether women who have children when entering self-employment perform less well compared to women who do not have children at the time of self-employment entry. One reason to expect differences in outcomes is that childless women are less time constrained and could potentially invest more time in the business, which could affect outcomes. We find, contrary to our hypothesis, that women who had a child at the time of self-employment entry have higher incomes, higher revenues and more employees in their firms, while we find no difference in the exit rate out of self-employment.

Previous studies, mostly from Anglo-Saxon countries, find a positive correlation between the presence of young children in the household and self-employment probabilities among women. This has been seen as an indication of women with young children choosing self-employment as a way of balancing work and family commitments. This paper studies the relationship between children and female self-employment in a country with family friendly policies and a generous welfare system: Sweden. The initial hypothesis is that we will not find evidence of a positive effect of children on self-employment among Swedish women since there are other institutions in place aiming at facilitating the combination of work and family. Using Swedish register data for the period 2004-2008 we do, however, find that the presence of young children increases the probability of choosing self-employment also among Swedish women. The effect is strongest for women with very young children, 0-3 years of age. These results also hold in a panel data model that takes individual unobserved heterogeneity into account. We also analyze time-use data and find, contrary to what has been found in many other countries, that self-employed women spend more, or as much, time on market work than wage-earning women. This raises doubts about whether women in Sweden chose self-employment as a way of balancing work and family commitments.

Etableringsreformen genomfördes under 2010 av den förra regeringen för att underlätta och påskynda integrationen av nyanlända flyktingar och deras anhöriga. Reformen innebar att ansvaret för de nyanländas etablering överfördes från kommunerna till Arbetsförmedlingen. I den här artikeln analyserar vi reformens effekter på de nyanländas sysselsättning, löneinkomster och deltagande i utbildning ett, två och tre år efter beviljat uppehållstillstånd på basis av registerdata från SCB över samtliga nyanlända.