Kommunal arbetsmarknadspolitik i ett integrationsperspektiv. : Expertbilaga till Rapport Integration 2005

There has been an increase in local activation programs for social assistance recipients in Swedish municipalities. The purpose with municipal activation programs is multi-fold, but one of the major objectives is to make social assistance recipients self-sufficient by reattaching them to the regular labour market. The policy rhetoric claims that the ultimate goal is to improve the social inclusion of social assistance recipients through regular employment. The approach to reach this goal is to expand employability, mobility, skills, and work experience by requiring participation in various activation measures. Approximately one out of ten unemployed in Sweden is referred to the municipalities’ social service. Immigrants who not yet have established them self on the labour market are over represented in this type of programs. Although, thousands of people as passing through these local programs it is still difficult to have a clear picture of this policy field. We do not know much about the implications of these programs as little systematic examinations have been conducted in this developing policy area. However, we do know that municipalities have a high degree of autonomy when organising local programs, which suggest that there is a large variation between municipalities in terms of program content and the quality of the programs. This study highlights the situation for immigrants that participate in municipal activation programs. For example, if there are signs of discrimination of immigrants in the programs and whether these programs improve their possibilities to enter the labour market. The study has demonstrated that immigrants sometimes are offered somewhat different activation services compared to other participants. However, these differences are more significant between different municipalities than between immigrants and other participants. The study also finds that there is no empirical support that the programs are efficient in reducing unemployment among the participants. The activation programs seem to have other objectives as their primary goals. For example, to mobilise other authorities (e.g. the Public Employment Services) and to reduce municipal expenditures. The study also finds that social assistance recipients are activated in these programs based on a normative belief that they are better of if they are activated. Due to such observations, municipalities seem to have a limited interest to evaluate the activation programs. This report concludes that the development of municipal activation programs is problematic as Swedish labour market policies are becoming decentralised and differentiated. Individuals that are established on the labour market are entitled unemployment insurance in case of unemployment. They are also more likely to be offered participation in governmental labour market programs delivered by the Public Employment Services. Those who are uninsured and have weak ties to the labour market, a group overrepresented by immigrants, are referred to a labour market policy system that is organised by the municipalities