Tuesday, October 25, 2005

Swedish policy “shuts immigrants out of jobs”

Swedish policy “shuts immigrants out of jobs”

Immigrants in Sweden are forced into a life of welfare dependency as a result of the country’s integration policy, a new report from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has claimed. Forcing immigrants to move to areas with housing, but no jobs, has harmed integration. The OECD notes Sweden’s very high proportion of refugee and family-related immigration compared with other countries. In addition, an increasing number of immigrants come from countries with cultures very different to Sweden’s. This, the report says, makes it more difficult for people to find work. The OECD predicts that demand for labour will increase as the population ages, and argues that programmes to deal with this are needed now.

Local authorities face massive rise in refugees


The head of the Swedish Integration Board, Andreas Carlgren, has said he believes that the number of refugees which Sweden's local authorities have to take in will increase to 24,000 people next year. That was the figure mentioned in a newsletter which Carlgren sent out on Monday. According to Svenska Dagbladet, which saw a copy of the newsletter, that is three times the amount quoted in an earlier assessment made by the board. "The predictions, which are based on those who could not be expelled and who are therefore registered at the Board of Migration, indicate that local authorities could need to take in around 24,000 people next year," wrote Carlgren. "To that number must be added the number who are hidden," he said, referring to those asylum seekers who have had their applications turned down but went into hiding in Sweden before they could be deported.

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