The Government's bill

The election manifesto establishes that political decisions have made unemployment insurance benefits the lowest in the Nordic region and that those who become unemployed should know that the benefits are sufficient for housing and food. The counter-proposal's requirement that more are covered, that more receive 80 percent of previous salary, that levels are raised and indexed and that phase-down is eliminated directly responds to that. The party programme's requirement for universal, comprehensive insurance based on the income replacement principle points in the same direction.

• raise unemployment benefitsdecisive»Men politiska beslut har gjort att a-kassans ersättningar är lägst i Norden.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“But political decisions have made unemployment insurance benefits the lowest in the Nordic region.”
• unemployment benefits you can live on»Du som blir arbetslös ska veta att du får en bra a-kassa och inte behöva oroa dig över att du måste flytta till en billigare lägenhet, sälja huset eller inte kunna ha mat på bordet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“As someone who becomes unemployed, you should know you get good unemployment benefits and not have to worry about having to move to a cheaper apartment, sell the house or not be able to have food on the table.”
• the income replacement principle»tighetsbaserade och grundade i en inkomstbortfallsprincip är viktigt« (party programme ↗)“rights-based and based on an income replacement principle is important”
• comprehensive insurance, more are covered»Att socialförsäkringarna är allmänna och heltäckande gör dem« (party programme ↗)“That social insurance is universal and comprehensive makes them”

The election manifesto commits itself to making permanent the increased benefit in unemployment insurance and to protecting a continued strong unemployment insurance fund, because it strengthens the position of wage earners and stabilizes the economy. The counter-proposal's demands for higher and indexed benefit levels, more insured persons and abolished phase-out are in line with this, while the bill's phase-out goes against it. The party programme grounds social insurance on good protection against loss of income. The plan therefore supports the counter-proposal's demands.

• permanent increased unemployment insurancedecisive»Därför vill vi permanenta den höjda ersättningen i arbetslöshetsersättningen.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Therefore we want to make permanent the increased benefit in unemployment insurance.”
• strong unemployment insurance»En stark a-kassa ger trygghet i vardagen, stärker löntagares ställning på arbetsmarknaden och hjälper till att stabilisera samhällsekonomin genom lågkonjunkturer.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“A strong unemployment insurance fund provides security in everyday life, strengthens the position of wage earners on the labour market and helps stabilize the economy through recessions.”
• protection against loss of income»Ett gott ekonomiskt skydd när den egna förvärvsinkomsten faller bort är grundläggande« (party programme ↗)“Good economic protection when one's own earned income falls away is fundamental”
• continued strong unemployment insurance»Vi vill se höjda pensioner, billigare arbetsresor för dem som har långt till jobbet, avgiftsfri kollektivtrafik för gymnasieelever och studenter på sommaren och en fortsatt stark a-kassa och sjukförsäkring.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We want to see increased pensions, cheaper commute costs for those with long journeys to work, free public transport for secondary school students and students in summer and a continued strong unemployment insurance and sickness insurance.”

flags: citat_migrerat

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.

The plan's vision is that everyone lacking income shall be guaranteed support that they can live on and that the insurance shall be broad with low thresholds for entry, even for students and self-employed. This supports the counter-proposal's demands that more shall be included, that benefit levels are raised and that the successive phase-out is abolished. The plan, however, takes no stand on the income test as such, so the conclusion is derived.

• benefits that sustain livingdecisive»Vår vision är att alla som saknar inkomst ska vara garanterade ett stöd som går att leva på, oavsett vilken inkomst man har haft tidigare och oavsett orsaken till att man saknar inkomst.« (party programme ↗)“Our vision is that everyone lacking income shall be guaranteed support that they can live on, regardless of what income they had previously and regardless of the reason why they lack income.”
• broad insurance, low thresholds»Försäkringen ska vara bred, ha låga trösklar för inträde, och i tillämpliga delar även omfatta studenter och egna företagare.« (party programme ↗)“The insurance shall be broad, have low thresholds for entry, and where applicable also cover students and self-employed.”
• general security systems»Välfärdsstatens trygghetssystem måste vara inkluderande, generella och robusta.« (party programme ↗)“The welfare state's security system must be inclusive, general and robust.”
• improved unemployment insurance»höja studiestödet och förbättra studenters a-kassa och sjukförsäkring.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“raise student support and improve students' unemployment insurance and sickness insurance.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The election manifesto establishes that the work principle shall be valued, that anyone who can work shall not live on taxpayers' money and that it should pay more to go from benefits to work. The party programme describes unemployment insurance as a transition insurance, not as income protection that should be raised and indexed. The counter-proposal's demands for higher benefit levels and abolished phase-out pull in the opposite direction from these commitments, while the plan's support for more people being covered aligns with the government bill.

• valued work principledecisive»Arbetslinjen måste värnas, och den som kan jobba ska inte leva på skattebetalarnas pengar.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The work principle must be valued, and anyone who can work shall not live on taxpayers' money.”
• incentives from benefits to work»Vi vill att det ska löna sig mer att gå från bidrag till arbete« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We want it to pay more to go from benefits to work”
• unemployment insurance as transition insurance»Arbetslöshetsförsäkringen ska vara en allmän och tydlig omställningsförsäkring.« (party programme ↗)“Unemployment insurance shall be a general and clear transition insurance.”
• welfare core before benefits»Mer pengar ska läggas på välfärdens kärna, mindre på bidrag.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“More money shall be put into the core of welfare, less into benefits.”

The plan wants unemployment insurance to be time-limited with higher compensation initially and then gradually phased down, precisely to preserve incentives to seek new work. The counter-proposal's demands for higher and indexed levels and abolished phase-down go straight against this. That more wage earners should be covered is however in line with the plan's requirements for broadened insurance and income conditions.

• phased-down unemployment benefitdecisive»ersättning den första tiden och därefter en stegvis avtrappning.« (party programme ↗)“compensation initially and then gradually phased down.”
• more generous benefit initially»Taket och ersättningsnivån ska vara generösare i början, för att« (party programme ↗)“The ceiling and compensation level shall be more generous initially, in order to”
• income condition in unemployment insurance»arbetslöshetsförsäkringen ersättas med ett inkomstvillkor.« (party programme ↗)“unemployment insurance is replaced with an income condition.”
• broadened insurance with work line»arbetslinjen men utformas så att försäkringen breddas.« (party programme ↗)“the work line but structured so that insurance is broadened.”

The plan requires that benefit levels be designed to incentivize individuals to return to work and to counteract benefit dependency. Rejecting the reform, raising levels and abolishing the phase-out goes against this. The plan instead wants universal mandatory insurance to cover everyone who becomes unemployed, which partially aligns with the requirement for broader coverage.

• benefits should encourage return to workdecisive»Nivåerna på ersättningarna ska utformas så att den enskilde stimuleras att delta i åtgärder« (party programme ↗)“The levels of benefits shall be designed so that the individual is encouraged to participate in measures”
• counteract benefit dependency»uppmuntras, och att bidragsberoende motverkas.« (party programme ↗)“encouraged, and that benefit dependency is counteracted.”
• combat long-term unemployment»Långtidsarbetslöshet ska bekämpas kraftfullt.« (party programme ↗)“Long-term unemployment should be combated vigorously.”
• mandatory unemployment insurance for all»en allmän obligatorisk arbetslöshetsförsäkring finnas« (party programme ↗)“a universal mandatory unemployment insurance exist”

The plan explicitly states that the work line is weakened by raised unemployment insurance, because even those recently unemployed then turn down jobs, and that total benefits should never become so high that it does not pay to work. The counter-proposal wants to reject the bill and instead raise and index compensation and abolish the reduction. This stands in direct conflict with the plan's work line.

• raised unemployment insurance weakens the work linedecisive»Arbetslinjen försvagas ytterligare av att regeringens höjning av a-kassan gjort att även de som nyss blivit arbetslösa tackar nej till jobb.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The work line is further weakened by the government's raising of unemployment insurance, which has made even those who have just become unemployed turn down jobs.”
• benefits below wage level»De samlade bidragen ska aldrig bli så höga att det inte lönar sig att jobba.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Total benefits should never become so high that it does not pay to work.”
• benefit cap»Införa ett bidragstak så att de samlade bidragen aldrig kan bli högre än lönen från ett arbete« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Introduce a benefit cap so that total benefits can never exceed the wage from a job”
• work line guides the systems»Skatter och bidragssystem ska utgå från arbetslinjen.« (party programme ↗)“Taxes and the benefit system should be based on the work line.”

The plan wants to raise compensation during the first hundred days but explicitly establishes that a tapering should be made thereafter, because work should always be worthwhile. The counter-proposal wants to reject the bill and furthermore abolish the tapering and raise and index the levels, which goes against that commitment, even though the plan shares the goal that more wage earners should be covered by the insurance.

• tapering after 100 daysdecisive»Efter de första hundra dagarna bör en nedtrappning av nivån göras – det ska alltid löna sig att arbeta.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“After the first hundred days, a tapering of the level should be made – work should always be worthwhile.”
• raised compensation initially»Höja ersättningen de första 100 dagarna« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Raise compensation during the first 100 days”
• work should be worthwhile»Göra det lönsamt att arbeta och bidra till samhället« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Make it worthwhile to work and contribute to society”
• compensation based on time worked»Kravet på medlemskap i en a-kassa ska avskaffas så att rätten till ersättning ska istället utgå från arbetad tid.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The requirement for membership in an unemployment insurance fund shall be abolished so that the right to compensation shall instead be based on time worked.”