Government's Bill Proposals

The plan requires a strengthened unemployment insurance where more are covered and get more of their previous income, and points out that unemployment insurance benefits are lowest in the Nordic region. The counter-proposal wants to instead rebuild the insurance according to a flexicurity model and retain six waiting days as self-insurance. The plan explicitly rejects the flexibility that in practice means deteriorated security and thus speaks against the counter-proposal's requirements.

• good unemployment insurancedecisive»Du som blir arbetslös ska veta att du får en bra a-kassa« (2022 manifesto ↗)“You who become unemployed should know that you get a good unemployment insurance”
• flexibility means insecurity»När högern och näringslivets lobbyorganisationer talar om flexibilitet på arbetsmarknaden menar de i klarspråk försämrad anställningstrygghet« (2022 manifesto ↗)“When the right and business lobby organizations talk about labor market flexibility they mean in plain language deteriorated employment security”
• income replacement principle»Socialförsäkringarna ska vara individuella och ge människor en inkomstrelaterad ersättning vid sjukdom, arbetslöshet« (party programme ↗)“Social insurance shall be individual and provide people with income-related compensation during illness, unemployment”
• too low replacement rate»Men politiska beslut har gjort att a-kassans ersättningar är lägst i Norden.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“But political decisions have made unemployment insurance benefits lowest in the Nordic region.”

The plan's core commitment on unemployment insurance is that the increased benefit shall be made permanent and that the unemployment fund shall be strong. The counter-proposal's requirement to retain six waiting days as self-deductible moves in the opposite direction, and the plan moreover wants to reduce injustice in waiting periods through a billion-kronor reform. Thereby the plan rejects what the counter-proposal requires in substance.

• permanent higher unemployment benefitdecisive»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 fund»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 fund provides security in everyday life, strengthens employees' position on the labour market and helps stabilize the economy through downturns.”
• reduce injustice in waiting periods»Karensavdraget skapar en ekonomisk orättvisa som slår hårt mot LO-förbundens medlemmar och andra som fysiskt måste vara på jobbet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The waiting period creates economic injustice that hits hard against LO members and others who must physically be at work.”

The plan's line is broad, unified work-life security with low thresholds for entry and abolished waiting periods, that is, lower out-of-pocket costs for those who become ill or unemployed. The counter-proposal's demand to retain six waiting days as out-of-pocket costs goes directly against this commitment. The plan also provides no support for conditioning reform of unemployment insurance on a flexicurity model.

• low thresholds in insurancedecisive»Försäkringen ska vara bred, ha låga trösklar för« (party programme ↗)“The insurance should be broad, have low thresholds for”
• abolished waiting period»slopa karensdagen i sjukförsäkringen.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“abolish the waiting period in sick leave insurance.”
• unified work-life security»samlad allmän försäkring som gäller vid både« (party programme ↗)“unified general insurance that applies to both”
• strong safety nets»Vi vill bygga skyddsnäten starka så att alla kan vara trygga och ingen lämnas utanför.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We want to build strong safety nets so that everyone can feel secure and no one is left out.”

The plan wants to see a labour market with both more flexibility and more security and describes unemployment insurance as a general transition insurance, not as a temporary construction. The counter-proposal's requirement for a basic flexicurity reform, maintained deductible in the form of waiting days and more thorough investigation before extensive exemptions follows from the work line and the transition thinking. The plan does not take a detailed position on the five-year rule.

• flexibility and securitydecisive»Svensk arbetsmarknad behöver både mer flexibilitet och mer trygghet. Stödet vid omställning och vidareutbildning måste bli bättre.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden's labour market needs both more flexibility and more security. Support for transition and further training must become better.”
• 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.”
• protected work line»Arbetslinjen måste värnas, och den som kan jobba ska inte leva på skattebetalarnas pengar.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The work line must be protected, and the person who can work shall not live off taxpayers' money.”
• implemented flexicurity reform»Den senaste mandatperioden drev Centerpartiet igenom en historisk arbetsmarknadsreform som innebär större flexibilitet för företagen och bättre omställningsmöjligheter för medarbetare.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“During the last term of office, the Centre Party implemented a historic labour market reform which means greater flexibility for companies and better transition opportunities for employees.”

The plan wants a comprehensive reform of unemployment insurance: it shall be general and state-run, the work requirement replaced with an income requirement and reformed labour law combined with strengthened state unemployment insurance and transition support – in substance a flexicurity line rather than temporary constructions. The plan also establishes that a self-deductible always needs to exist, which supports retaining waiting days. The counter-proposal's demand for thorough reform and retained self-deductible thus align with the plan.

• flexicurity with state unemployment insurancedecisive»generell och förstärkt statlig arbetslöshetsförsäkring och ökade möjligheter till kompetensutveckling.« (party programme ↗)“general and strengthened state unemployment insurance and increased opportunities for skills development.”
• thorough reform of unemployment insurance»För att anpassa arbetslöshetsförsäkringen till dagens arbetsmarknad ska arbetsvillkoret i arbetslöshetsförsäkringen« (party programme ↗)“In order to adapt unemployment insurance to today's labour market, the work requirement in unemployment insurance shall”
• self-deductible shall exist»Även om det alltid behöver finnas en självrisk« (party programme ↗)“Even though there always needs to be a self-deductible”
• general state insurance»Arbetslöshetsförsäkringen ska vara allmän och statlig.« (party programme ↗)“Unemployment insurance shall be general and state-run.”

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 plan wants a general mandatory unemployment insurance with clear insurance elements, financed with contribution payments, and benefit levels that drive return to work. A retained self-insurance element in the form of waiting days and a comprehensive rather than temporary construction lies close to that line. However, the plan does not express itself on the five-year rule, so the uncertainty is great.

• financing with contribution paymentsdecisive»Arbetslöshetsförsäkringen bör finansieras med egenavgifter och arbetsgivaravgifter.« (party programme ↗)“Unemployment insurance should be financed with contribution payments and employer contributions.”
• basic security in unemployment»en rimlig trygghet vid sjukdom, arbetslöshet, arbetsskada och pension.« (party programme ↗)“reasonable security in illness, unemployment, work injury and pension.”
• incentives for work»Nivåerna på ersättningarna ska utformas så att den enskilde stimuleras att delta i åtgärder« (party programme ↗)“Benefit levels must be structured so that individuals are encouraged to participate in measures”
• equal conditions»Principen bör vara att ge alla likvärdiga förutsättningar.« (party programme ↗)“The principle should be to give all equal conditions.”

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 plan's decisive commitment is that taxes and benefit systems shall be based on the work line and that a raised unemployment insurance is explicitly criticized for making recently unemployed reject jobs. To keep six waiting days as self-insurance and to fundamentally reform unemployment insurance rather than through a temporary construction aligns with this. The plan therefore supports what the counter-proposal demands substantively.

• unemployment insurance weakens 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 making even the recently unemployed reject jobs.”
• work line guides benefits»Skatter och bidragssystem ska utgå från arbetslinjen.« (party programme ↗)“Taxes and benefit systems shall be based on the work line.”
• benefits below work income»De samlade bidragen ska aldrig bli så höga att det inte lönar sig att jobba.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Total benefits shall never become so high that it doesn't pay to work.”
• thoroughgoing reforms for work»Sverige behöver hitta tillbaka till en ansvarsfull ekonomisk politik som bygger upp motståndskraft mot kriser och genomföra reformer för fler i arbete.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden needs to find its way back to responsible economic policy that builds resilience against crises and carry out reforms for more people in work.”

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's line on unemployment insurance is that it shall be nationalized, become general and mandatory, that the membership requirement shall be removed and that benefits shall be increased during the first 100 days. The counter-proposal's requirement to maintain six waiting days as self-insurance and to hold back on exemptions moves in the opposite direction from the plan's ambition to increase economic security and lower thresholds. The plan therefore speaks against the counter-proposal's requirements.

• increased initial benefitsdecisive»Höja ersättningen de första 100 dagarna« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Increase benefits during the first 100 days”
• nationalized general unemployment insurance»Sverigedemokraterna vill att arbetslöshetsförsäkringen blir en del av statens välfärdsåtagande. En allmän, obligatorisk och statligt finansierad och administrerad a-kassa ska införas.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden Democrats wish for unemployment insurance to become part of the state's welfare commitment. A general, mandatory and state-financed and administered unemployment insurance shall be introduced.”
• lowered thresholds to unemployment insurance»Dessutom innebär kravet om långvarigt medlemskap i en a-kassa en tröskel för många när kriser på samhällsnivå gör att många anställningar försvinner bortom den enskildes kontroll.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Moreover, the requirement for long-term membership in an unemployment insurance scheme represents a barrier for many when crises at society level make many jobs disappear beyond the individual's control.”
• economic security for wage earners»Öka den ekonomiska tryggheten för löntagare« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Increase economic security for wage earners”