Working Together for Local Integration of Migrants and Refugees in Gothenburg
Today, 34% of the population of Gothenburg, Sweden, was born outside of the country or has at least one parent born abroad. The city is growing at a fast pace: 4 400 new residents registered in 2016. Newcomers account for the bulk of demographic growth, of which 12 858 refugees settled in the city between 2010 and 2016. However, migration is not a new phenomenon in Gothenburg, with nearly 41.7% of migrant residents having arrived more than 10 years ago. The Gothenburg municipality has a significant track record in managing the impact of migration on local demand for work, housing, goods and services, cultural and linguistic diversity, and other parts of daily life. This report presents the way Gothenburg municipality and its state and non-state partners are addressing migrant integration issues and opportunities. It compiles data and qualitative evidence on how local integration efforts are designed and implemented within a multi-level governance framework.
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Block 4. Sectoral Measures
The Swedish economy is growing rapidly with new opportunities arising all the time (OECD, 2017a). In March 2017, it was reported that 244 000 new jobs had been created between 2008 and 2016. Most of those jobs went to foreign-born individuals, due to the demographic structures in Sweden, where native born in their productive years do not meet demands of labour in a growing and expanding economy (SvT 2017b). However, recent reports are somewhat contradictory with regards to access to the job market for persons with a foreign background. On the one hand, they confirm the division of the Swedish labour market (Arbetsmarknadsekonomiska rådet 2017) only 35% of the migrant population are full-time employed in permanent positions, compared to 61% of Swedish born. In 2016, 33.3% of foreign born on the labour market considered themselves to be overqualified in relation to the position they held, as compared to 17.3% for native born Swedes (SCB 2016). On the other hand, a trend indicates that the level of employment is increasing among those with a foreign background (SCB 2017).
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