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Tomorrow Friday, the Swedish Public Employment Service will present its final report on local presence in municipalities. Even though the government has added new resources to reopen several offices, the report will show that the sharp cut by Arbetsförmedlingen means that more than half of all Swedish municipalities will lack employment offices by the end of the year.
Now, in October, the offices in Lessebo, Alvesta and Ängelholm will be closed. In December, the Lund and Landskrona offices will be closed. After that, the closure plan of the Swedish Public Employment Service is implemented.
Serious crisis in the labor market
In Arbetsförmedlingen’s first savings plan, the offices in 132 locations were to be closed. But after the government has added resources, the authority retains four of the staffed offices and five new ones are opened. Despite the adjustments, 184 Swedish municipalities will lack an office of the Swedish Public Employment Service by the end of the year. As of 2021, there will only be 88 permanent employment offices.
In addition, there will be several municipalities with unmanned premises where staff will travel for reserved visits.
The closure of hundreds of employment offices last year is coming at the same time that the corona pandemic has caused unemployment to rise very rapidly in most municipalities. According to the Minister of Labor, the reductions are taking place at the same time that Sweden suffers the most serious crisis in the labor market in modern times.
Several municipalities have been forced to open their own offices to help the unemployed.
Sandviken Municipality is critical
In Gävleborg, unemployment is over ten percent. The Swedish Public Employment Service closed its offices in Hofors, Ockelbo, Ljusdal and Söderhamn county last year. In December 2019, 70 employees had to leave the office of the Swedish Public Employment Service in Sandviken. Now there is only the possibility to book visits with the Gävle staff.
Johnny Sandgren is a unit manager in Sandviken Township and works to help young people find jobs. He is critical of closing the office.
– It is unfortunate that the local offices have been withdrawn and that we are affected, of course, it is not good. It was better when we had a local office, he says.
