In Sweden there are more than 1.5 million people aged 13-25 years. The number of young people who neither work nor study is growing. Girls are over-represented. One explanation may be that the time before young people get established in the labour market is becoming longer. According to Tommy Waidelich, SAP (Swedish Social Democratic Party) representative on the PES board, there is also a very clear link between education and unemployment.

In Sweden we see a sale on the workforce, especially young workers, today. The Swedish government is putting money in lower restaurant tax, instead of increasing the opportunities for education

In relation to the general situation on the labor marketSwedenis doing worst in the entire OECD area at getting young people in work.

Youth unemployment has been well above 20 percent for several years. Yet the right-wing government has decided that young people should not get any help at the Employment Service (Arbetsförmedlingen) until after three months.

SAP has five proposals to reduce youth unemployment:

1. Education
   Without a high school diploma, it is hard to find work in today’s job market. We want to introduce an Education contract for the unemployed under 25 years who have not finished high school. The contract guarantees education that lead to high school diploma, but you have no compensation or assistance if you do not complete the training.
    
2. Rapid response and better matching
   We want to ensure early intervention for young unemployed people. Activity prohibition on the employment service (Arbetsförmedlingen) should be removed.
    
3. Education replacement
   We propose training replacements where staff receives training while unemployed may try for a new job.
    
4. Trainee places
   We want to see a trainee places for young people under 25 and special trainee positions for graduates under 29.
    
5. Summer jobs
   A summer job is often the first step to employment. We want the municipalities to ensure school pupils summer job.

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