Labour market testing

The party programme explicitly states that labor migration shall be based on secure conditions and socioeconomic needs, which is the very content of an authority-based labor market test instead of an employer-driven system. The plan also wants to close the space for exploiting people's vulnerable position, and the election manifesto requires that no one should be dependent on the employer to be able to stay in Sweden. Wage dumping is identified as a central threat.

• secure conditions and social needsdecisive»Arbetskraftsinvandringen ska bygga på trygga villkor och« (party programme ↗)“Labor migration shall be based on secure conditions and”
• no dependency on employer»Ingen av oss ska behöva utstå rasism på arbetsplatsen eller vara beroende av arbetsgivaren för att få stanna i Sverige.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“None of us should have to endure racism in the workplace or be dependent on the employer to be able to stay in Sweden.”
• stop exploitation of vulnerable people»det utrymme som finns idag att exploatera människors utsatta« (party programme ↗)“the space that exists today to exploit people's vulnerable”
• against wage dumping and exploitation»Lönedumpning, ekonomisk brottslighet och utnyttjande är centrala hot idag.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Wage dumping, economic crime, and exploitation are central threats today.”

The election manifesto explicitly promises to introduce a labour market test and that labour immigration shall be limited so that those unemployed in Sweden first come into work. The counter-proposal's demand for a government agency-based labour market test is the same measure. The plan also gives the reason: today's employer-controlled system often leads to people being exploited.

• introduce labour market testdecisive»Vi vill införa en arbetsmarknadsprövning.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We want to introduce a labour market test.”
• limited labour immigration»Arbetskraftsinvandringen ska begränsas.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Labour immigration shall be limited.”
• unemployed in Sweden first»I första hand ska arbetslösa i Sverige komma i arbete.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Those unemployed in Sweden should first come into work.”
• prevent exploitation»Dessutom leder dagens arbetskraftsinvandring ofta till att människor utnyttjas.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Moreover, today's labour immigration often leads to people being exploited.”

The plan wants Sweden to be open to labour migration and sees freedom of movement as a human right. An authority-based labour market test that only allows labour migration when no one is available in the country is the opposite of that openness, and the plan therefore rejects the counter-proposal's demand. The plan's answer to exploitation is instead regulation against poor working conditions and unscrupulous employers, not a needs assessment.

• open labour migrationdecisive»Vi vill att Sverige ska vara ett land som är öppet för arbetskraftsinvandring.« (party programme ↗)“We want Sweden to be a country that is open to labour migration.”
• the right to work in another country»Möjligheten att kunna söka sig till ett annat land för att arbeta är en grundläggande frihet och en vinst för både avsändar- och mottagarlandet.« (party programme ↗)“The possibility of being able to seek work in another country is a fundamental freedom and a gain for both sending and receiving countries.”
• freedom of movement»Fri rörlighet borde vara en mänsklig rättighet.« (party programme ↗)“Freedom of movement should be a human right.”
• regulation against unscrupulous employers»Ett öppet regelverk ställer samtidigt krav på nationella regleringar och internationella samarbeten för att motverka diskriminering, dåliga arbetsvillkor och oseriösa arbetsgivare.« (party programme ↗)“An open framework simultaneously requires national regulations and international cooperation to counteract discrimination, poor working conditions and unscrupulous employers.”

The election manifesto wants to protect labour immigration so companies can quickly find and hire the right expertise, and the party programme rejects planned-economy directives in the market economy. Authority-based labour market testing moves the recruitment decision from the company to the state and cuts straight against these commitments. The plan therefore rejects the counter-proposal's demand.

• protect labour immigrationdecisive»Värna arbetskraftsinvandringen. För att svenska företag ska kunna konkurrera måste de ha möjlighet att snabbt hitta, rekrytera och anställa rätt kompetens.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Protect labour immigration. For Swedish companies to be able to compete, they must have the opportunity to quickly find, recruit and hire the right expertise.”
• business skills needs»Politiken får inte svika alla de företag som inte klarar sig utan arbetskraftsinvandring.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Policy must not fail all those businesses that cannot manage without labour immigration.”
• active labour immigration»Centerpartiet vill stärka svensk konkurrenskraft genom en aktiv politik för« (party programme ↗)“Centerpartiet wants to strengthen Swedish competitiveness through an active policy for”

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The plan embraces labour migration as a growth factor, wants to welcome both temporary workers and new residents and make permits simpler and longer. A state-agency-based labour market assessment means the opposite: an agency, not the employer, decides whether recruitment may occur. This conflicts with the plan's line of lower thresholds, reduced regulatory burden and ending competence-based deportations.

• labour migration brings growthdecisive»Arbetskrafts- och företagarinvandringen bidrar till Sveriges tillväxt, och student- och forskarinvandringen stärker Sverige som kunskapsnation.« (party programme ↗)“Labour and entrepreneur migration contributes to Sweden's growth, and student and researcher migration strengthens Sweden as a knowledge nation.”
• simpler work permits»Det ska bli enklare att få tillstånd att komma hit för att söka arbete eller starta företag för den som kan försörja sig under tiden i Sverige.« (party programme ↗)“It shall become easier to get permission to come here to seek work or start a business for someone who can support themselves during their time in Sweden.”
• longer work permits»Tillfälliga arbetstillstånd ska kunna ges för en längre period än i dag.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Temporary work permits shall be able to be issued for a longer period than today.”
• reduced regulatory burden»Regelbördan för små företag ska minska, genom ansträngningar på både kommunal, statlig och europeisk nivå, och offentliga beslut analyseras ur småföretagarperspektiv.« (party programme ↗)“The regulatory burden for small businesses shall decrease, through efforts at municipal, national and European levels, and public decisions shall be analysed from a small business perspective.”

The plan is based on the labour market parties themselves controlling their business areas and agreements, that politicians shall resist the temptation to interfere unnecessarily, and that state control of wage formation is rejected. An authority-based labour market assessment means precisely such a state needs assessment of the employer's recruitment. The election manifesto's requirement for strict migration pulls in the opposite direction, why confidence is low.

• the parties control the agreementsdecisive»och arbetsgivare över sina verksamhetsområden och« (party programme ↗)“and employers over their business areas and”
• no state wage control»Statlig styrning av lönebildningen i form av inkomstpolitik avvisas.« (party programme ↗)“State control of wage formation in the form of income policy is rejected.”
• politics shall not interfere»Politiker måste motstå frestelsen att i onödan« (party programme ↗)“Politicians must resist the temptation to interfere unnecessarily”
• strict migration policy»Stram migrationspolitik krävs för att ta itu med integrationsproblem och utanförskap.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Strict migration policy is required to address integration problems and exclusion.”

The plan states that complicated permit processes and bureaucracy put obstacles in the way of business and that employers shall be able to find the right expertise without suffering from unfair work market deportations. A government agency-based labour market test, by contrast, means that an agency shall approve each recruitment, which conflicts with the plan's commitments to shorter agency processes and contractual freedom in a market economy. The demand is rejected.

• bureaucracy hinders businessdecisive»höga skatter, krångliga tillståndsprocesser och byråkrati sätter käppar i hjulet för innovation och tillväxt« (2022 manifesto ↗)“high taxes, complicated permit processes and bureaucracy put obstacles in the way of innovation and growth”
• protect foreign top expertise»Sätta stopp för kompetensutvisningarna« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Stop work market deportations”
• shortened agency processes»Korta myndigheternas handläggningstider genom en bortre tidsgräns« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Shorten agency processing times through a strict time limit”
• market economy and contractual freedom»Grunden för Sveriges välstånd är en marknadsekonomi baserad« (party programme ↗)“The foundation for Sweden's prosperity is a market economy based”

The election manifesto explicitly requires Sweden to introduce a genuine labour market test for work permits, and that labour immigration to occupations that can be met by domestic workforce be stopped. The party programme establishes that the labour market's needs should first and foremost be met with domestic workforce and that labour immigration should be needs-based. The counter-proposal's demand for authority-based labour market testing is thus the plan's own line.

• genuine labour market testdecisive»För arbetstillstånd behöver Sverige införa en riktig arbetsmarknadsprövning för att förhindra att arbetsgivare importerar billig arbetskraft från fattiga länder för att utföra yrken som kräver liten eller ingen utbildning.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“For work permits Sweden needs to introduce a genuine labour market test to prevent employers from importing cheap labour from poor countries to perform occupations requiring little or no education.”
• domestic workforce first»Stoppa arbetskraftsinvandring till yrken som kan tillgodoses av inhemsk arbetskraft« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Stop labour immigration to occupations that can be met by domestic workforce”
• needs-based labour immigration»arbetsmarknadens behov först och främst skall tillgodoses med inhemsk arbetskraft.« (party programme ↗)“the labour market's needs shall first and foremost be met with domestic workforce.”
• rules do not work»Reglerna för arbetskraftsinvandring har dessutom i praktiken slutat fungera.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The rules for labour immigration have furthermore in practice stopped functioning.”

The stance rests on the quoted commitment in the party's own documents; the actual vote deviated. Click the quote to verify it in the document.