Unemployment insurance

The plan's crucial commitment is that those who become unemployed shall receive good unemployment insurance without having to worry about their housing or food, and it establishes that political decisions have made benefits lowest in the Nordic region. The counter-proposal's opposition to a steeper phase-out and requirement for adjusted ceiling and benefit levels is the same thing in substance. The plan also wants to see strong, rights-based social insurance based on the income-loss principle.

• good unemployment insurancedecisive»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 ↗)“You who become unemployed shall know that you will receive good unemployment insurance and do not need to worry about having to move to a cheaper flat, sell your house or not be able to put food on the table.”
• too low benefit levels»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.”
• strong social insurance»Vi vill se starka försäkringar som skapar trygghet för var och en under« (party programme ↗)“We want to see strong social insurance that creates security for everyone under”
• the income-loss principle»grundade i en inkomstbortfallsprincip är viktigt« (party programme ↗)“based on an income-loss principle is important”

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 election manifesto explicitly promises to make permanent the increased benefit in unemployment insurance and justifies it by that a strong unemployment insurance provides security and strengthens wage-earners' position. The party programme bases social insurance on the income-replacement principle and requires developed unemployment insurance. The counter-proposal's opposition to steeper phase-out and demand for adjusted levels follow directly from these commitments.

• increased benefit level in 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.”
• the income-replacement principle»Inkomstbortfallsprincip som grund för socialförsäkringarna, för att trygga den« (party programme ↗)“Income-replacement principle as the basis for social insurance, to secure”
• 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 provides everyday security, strengthens wage-earners' position in the labour market and helps stabilize the economy through downturns.”
• developed unemployment insurance»Utvecklad arbetslöshetsförsäkring.« (party programme ↗)“Developed unemployment insurance.”

The plan requires that benefits in social security systems are high enough for a dignified standard of living and that those who become unemployed shall not be left without compensation. A steeper phase-out pulls in the opposite direction, and the plan instead wants to strengthen support for those who have least. The requirement for analysis of consequences for different income groups and gender responds to the plan's observation that economic differences are especially large between women and men.

• dignified benefit levelsdecisive»Ersättningarna i trygghetssystemen ska vara tillräckligt höga för att säkerställa en värdig« (party programme ↗)“Benefits in social security systems shall be high enough to ensure a dignified”
• security when unemployed»Personer som blir arbetslösa ska inte behöva stå utan ersättning från« (party programme ↗)“Persons who become unemployed shall not need to be without compensation from”
• basic economic security»Alla har rätt till en grundläggande ekonomisk trygghet.« (party programme ↗)“Everyone has a right to basic economic security.”
• gender perspective on the economy»Skillnaderna är särskilt stora mellan kvinnor och män.« (party programme ↗)“Differences are especially large between women and men.”

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 counter-proposal wants to ease the phase-out and adjust replacement levels in unemployment insurance. The party programme states that unemployment insurance shall be a clear insurance scheme for job transitions and that security shall encourage work and self-support, and the election manifesto that the work line shall be upheld and more shall go to welfare's core and less to benefits. The plan therefore does not support a less steep phase-out.

• work line uphelddecisive»Arbetslinjen måste värnas, och den som kan jobba ska inte leva på skattebetalarnas pengar.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The work line must be upheld, and those who can work shall not live on taxpayers' money.”
• unemployment insurance as job-transition insurance»Arbetslöshetsförsäkringen ska vara en allmän och tydlig omställningsförsäkring.« (party programme ↗)“Unemployment insurance shall be a general and clear insurance scheme for job transitions.”
• security that encourages work»vara utformad så att ingen faller igenom samtidigt som den stimulerar till arbete och egen försörjning« (party programme ↗)“be designed so that no one falls through while it encourages work and self-support”
• less on benefits»Mer pengar ska läggas på välfärdens kärna, mindre på bidrag.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“More money shall go to welfare's core, less to benefits.”

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 is explicit: unemployment insurance shall be general and state-run with more generous caps and replacement rates at the beginning that then gradually phase down, precisely to combine income protection with incentives to seek new employment. The counter-proposal opposes the steeper phase-down and wants to adjust cap and replacement rates, which runs directly against this commitment. The plan also emphasizes that combined benefits shall not exceed the lowest collective agreement wages.

• phased-down unemployment benefitsdecisive»Taket och ersättningsnivån ska vara generösare i början, för att successivt trappas ner samtidigt som den myndighet som ansvarar för arbetsmarknadsinsatser trappar upp sin aktivitet och kraven på rörlighet utökas.« (party programme ↗)“The cap and replacement rate shall be more generous at the beginning, to gradually phase down while the authority responsible for labour market measures increases its activity and mobility requirements expand.”
• time-limited insurance with incentives»För att arbetslöshetsförsäkringen ska ge inkomstskydd och samtidigt drivkrafter att söka nytt arbete bör den vara tidsbegränsad med högre ersättning den första tiden och därefter en stegvis avtrappning.« (party programme ↗)“So that unemployment insurance provides income protection and at the same time incentives to seek new employment, it should be time-limited with higher benefits the first time and thereafter a step-by-step phase-down.”
• benefits cap against high replacement»Därför vill vi modernisera bidragssystemet genom ett bidragstak – de samlade bidragen ska inte kunna vara högre än de lägsta kollektivavtalade lönerna.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Therefore, we want to modernize the benefits system through a benefits cap—combined benefits shall not be higher than the lowest collective agreement wages.”
• cap covering the majority»Även om det alltid behöver finnas en självrisk ska ersättningen motsvara större delen av inkomstbortfallet, upp till ett takbelopp som ska inkludera det stora flertalet av de försäkrade.« (party programme ↗)“Although there must always be a self-risk, the replacement should match most of the income loss, up to a cap that should include the vast majority of those insured.”

The plan requires that benefit systems are designed so that people's own effort is encouraged and benefit dependence is counteracted, and that replacement levels stimulate return to working life. A steeper taper and restrained levels follow from this, whereas the counter-proposal's requirement for milder taper and adjusted cap and replacement levels goes against the commitment. The plan certainly requires basic security in unemployment and gender equality analysis of decisions, but that does not support the counter-proposal's main requirement.

• counteract benefit dependencedecisive»Skatte- och bidragssystemen måste utformas så att människors egen kraft och engagemang« (party programme ↗)“Tax and benefit systems must be designed so that people's own effort and engagement”
• replacement levels that stimulate work»Nivåerna på ersättningarna ska utformas så att den enskilde« (party programme ↗)“The levels of replacements shall be designed so that the individual”
• reasonable security in unemployment»trygghet vid sjukdom, arbetslöshet, arbetsskada och pension« (party programme ↗)“security in sickness, unemployment, work injury and pension”
• gender equality analysis of decisions»Jämställdhetsperspektivet ska genomsyra alla politikområden.« (party programme ↗)“The gender equality perspective shall permeate all policy areas.”

The plan explicitly criticises that the increase in unemployment insurance has weakened the work ethic so that even recently unemployed turn down jobs. The counter-proposal wants to ease the phase-out and adjust ceiling and compensation levels, which goes straight against this. The plan's requirement is that combined benefits never become so high that it does not pay to work.

• increased unemployment insurance weakens work ethicdecisive»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 ethic is further weakened by the government's increase in unemployment insurance making even those just becoming unemployed turn down jobs.”
• it must pay to work»De samlade bidragen ska aldrig bli så höga att det inte lönar sig att jobba.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Combined benefits shall never become so high that it does not pay to work.”
• work should give more than allowances»Det ska inte vara som idag att den som lever på bidrag kan få lika mycket i plånboken varje månad som den som jobbar.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“It should not be as today that someone living on allowances can get as much in their pocket each month as someone who works.”
• work ethic governs the systems»Skatter och bidragssystem ska utgå från arbetslinjen.« (party programme ↗)“Taxes and benefit systems shall follow the work ethic.”

The plan believes that the benefit level in unemployment insurance is too low, wants to raise benefits during the first 100 days, and increase economic security for wage earners. The counter-proposal's demands for adjusted ceilings and benefit levels as well as a consequence analysis align with this. However, the plan itself advocates a phase-out after the first hundred days, which partly contradicts the objection about steeper withdrawal and makes the conclusion uncertain.

• higher benefits earlydecisive»Höja ersättningen de första 100 dagarna« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Raise benefits during the first 100 days”
• benefit level too low»Ersättningsnivån är så låg att den ofta orsakar omedelbara konsekvenser och svårigheter för den som drabbas av tillfällig arbetslöshet och dessa blir inte sällan akuta p.g.a. långa handläggningstider.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The benefit level is so low that it often causes immediate consequences and difficulties for those affected by temporary unemployment and these often become acute due to long processing times.”
• economic security for wage earners»Öka den ekonomiska tryggheten för löntagare« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Increase economic security for wage earners”
• phase-out after 100 days»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 phase-out of the level should be made – it should always pay to 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.