School holiday jobs 2024

To improve young people's entry into the labour market, the Government set aside SEK 130 million (about 11 million euros) in 2024 to strengthen the municipalities' opportunities to create school holiday jobs for young people. Municipalities with high level of unemployment are specifically targeted. A similar effort has been carried out since 2020.

The investment means that municipalities with high unemployment can receive a grant via the Employment Service (Arbetsförmedlingen) to create jobs for young people who are in or just have finished upper secondary education and summer jobs for young people who have finished grade nine of compulsory education, and for young people who are covered by the municipal activity responsibility.

Focus on women's entrepreneurship

The government has tasked the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth (TIllväxtverket) with carrying out initiatives aimed at improving the conditions for women's entrepreneurship, ownership and business.

Within the framework of the new assignment, the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth shall during 2024–2026:

• Implement initiatives that promote young women's entrepreneurship.
• Carry out knowledge-raising efforts to facilitate and improve the conditions for small businesses to participate in public procurement.
• Implement initiatives that stimulate young women's entrepreneurship.
• Develop methods to produce statistics with a focus on women's ownership.
• Carry out knowledge-raising initiatives regarding financing opportunities.
• Organize events in connection with International Women's Day in 2025 and 2026 with the aim of drawing attention to women's entrepreneurship.

The assignment will be carried out in collaboration with the Swedish Gender Equality Agency (Jämställdhetsmyndigheten), the Swedish Agency for Education (Skolverket) and the National Agency for Public Procurement (Upphandlingsmyndigheten).

The Agency for Economic and Regional Growth must according to assignment submit an interim report no later than April 17, 2026. The final report is to be submitted to the Government Offices, Ministry of Climate and Enterprise, no later than February 15, 2027.

Recommendation for a Council decision authorizing the opening of negotiations for an agreement between the European Union and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on the mobility of young people

The Swedish government welcomes the Commission's recommendation to the Council for an authorization to start negotiations with Great Britain on the mobility of young people. The proposal can facilitate mobility for young Swedes who want to study, research and work in Great Britain.

The proposal means that the Council authorizes the Commission to negotiate an agreement between the EU and Great Britain on the mobility of young people.

The group of people to be covered by the planned agreement are EU citizens and British citizens aged 18–30. The length of the stay must be limited to a certain time frame, e.g. four years. The mobility that follows from the agreement must not be tied to a specific purpose, but it must be possible to, for example, work, study, practice, research or travel around during the stay. Normal entry conditions and grounds for refusal shall apply, but it shall not be permitted to introduce quotas. In the case of UK nationals, mobility shall only apply in relation to the EU Member State which has granted such a permit. The agreement shall therefore not cover any mobility within the EU for British citizens.

The proposal is considered in a council working group. The Commission presented its proposal in a first reading in the Council's working party for the United Kingdom on 26 April 2024.