Camilla is a lovely Swedish of middle age

Camilla is a lovely Swedish of middle age. Married, two independent sons, she lives in Stockholm in four rented rooms 7,000 crowns a month (about 780 euros). Her husband works. As soon as she can, she spent his vacation in France. A life peaceful and uneventful, until there is two and a half years. With the equivalent of the bin, it was then used in an advertising agency where it replaced a fellow party on maternity leave. Sometimes the crisis. The Sweden is not spared by the financial tornado. The country plunged into recession in 2009 (-4.9 of GDP). The unemployment rate dangerously flies over 9. As many of his countrymen, Camilla loses his job. "My bac level is a problem;" "this is not enough", she says. It must therefore take the path of the Arbetsförmedlingen, the local employment agency. A virtual path since its inscription on the lists of the body made entirely on the Internet. A month later, it received its first allowances: first 12.500 crowns (less), and then, after six months, 10,500 crowns (about 1,200 euros) not tapered.

An almost immediate takeover

Camilla will remain unemployed for two years. But not question it and officials of the Arbetsförmedlingen passively suffer the situation. The takeover by the services of the Swedish employment pole is almost immediate. Barely a week, and Camilla has his first appointment in one of the largest offices of the Arbetsförmedlingen in the capital, in the centre of Stockholm, where more than 100 consultants highly motivated by their mission work. "Our Organization is flexible and efficient." "The employers come to us when they want to recruit", says proudly Jihad Adlouni, a Swedish roots Middle East, a graduate of engineering in the United States and responsible for contacts with his European colleagues. "Nine-tenths of the employers aimed at we declare satisfied by our independent surveys conducted each month", goes Angeles Bermudez-Svankvist, a quinquagénaire of Spanish origin at the head of the Arbetsförmedlingen since 2007, after having led one of the largest public hospitals in the capital.

But this time the crisis lasted long. In the most difficult period, the Swedish economy has produced 20,000 unemployed new per month, said the Director General.

In this context, Camilla multiplies the monthly meetings of thirty to forty-five minutes each with the Advisor of his case. During these discussions, he is asked to detail its efforts to find work. His efforts are futile. The Arbetsförmedlingen then decides to move up a gear. First of all, we him funds fully an internship of three months at Nespresso. "A rewarding experience, which allowed me to resume contact with the world of work and to find a bit of confidence in me", says Camilla, satisfied to have found itself in this training. This internship at Nespresso will represent a turning point for her...

The Arbetsförmedlingen Advisor believes that it is ready to take its destiny in hand. Camilla has a project: to make the interior decoration being his own employer. The expert from the Office of the Tunnelgatan Street offers intensive training of creator of microenterprises, provided by a private specialized Institute. The training ends on an evaluation without grant, which will determine whether to continue on this path.

A system by asphyxia

The history of Camilla is, shortcut, one of the great transformation that is experiencing the now famous "Swedish model"... "The idea is to transform the Sweden, that social cohesion is provided by social protection, in a country where it is the work that fills this role", summarizes Angeles Bermudez-Svankvist. If the crisis, then the resumption of 2010 served as spark, the redesign was already at work for several years. Prior to be reformed in 2006 by a center-right government coalition has won the last political elections in the fall of 2010, social protection and the Organization of the Swedish labour market faced great difficulties. End of 2005, the Swedish public debt had reached 1.308 billion kroner (145 billion euros), or almost half of GDP. And the curve, to climb, not ended. So, ask for the new Government to increase the intake, already close to 60 of the revenues. The "Swedish model" was then threatened with asphyxiation. It was also less effective. On a population of 9 million inhabitants, the Sweden has counted up to 550,000 people say "differently able", exit completely from the labour market and a pension. A, he should add about 200,000 people in long-term illness, most of whom were women in mid-career, issues of the public sector, said Anders Forslund, a professor who co-leads the Institute for Labour Market Policy Evaluation (IFAU), the most prestigious think tank of the country's employment.

Upon his arrival in the business, October 6, 2006, the new Executive committed scale reforms. Objective: back the Swedes to work without breaking the strong social safety net. To do this, the Government decides to operate two levers: this is to reduce the tax burden on low wage workers, while reducing unemployment benefits and sickness allowances. To counter unemployment of youth, especially high in Sweden (approximately 20 of 16-25 years) because of the massive student registration on the lists of job seekers, the current Prime Minister, Fredrik Reinfeldt team, brought a young contract giving employers the right to terminate employment within two years following hiring. The reforms are steep. Because, two years later, when occurs the crisis, the Swedish labour market is in running order. And cash blows without too much damage. The unemployment rate increased little compared to the diving of the economy. 6 Of the active population in the third quarter of 2008, it was still close to 9 in April. Then, thanks to the strong rebound of activity, he began a rapid descent to 7. In the eyes of Anders Forslund, "new employment policies have created a favourable ground for increasing the rate of activity in Sweden". ' "Our reforms should increase stable employment of some 140,000 units in the years to come," believes the Minister of employment, Hillevi Engström. "The reforms have not only impact on employment." "They have also reduced the number of sick leave and increased hours of those who are on the job", she continues. In fact, the number of employees in long-term illness has been divided by two, and about 50,000 people "differently able" found occupation.

"coaching" and practical training

To complete the device, the Government conducted in 2010 to a reorganization of the Arbetsförmedlingen, which does not satisfy everyone. Especially not the employers ' organisation Confederation of Swedish Enterprise, which wanted to rather the emergence of a private competitor, to the very powerful Agency. Now centralized at the national level, the Arbetsförmedlingen must take charge of "coaching", of the practical and theoretical training of adults and the large site of the employment of immigrants, which represent Sweden about 17 of the population. On average, the nationals of countries outside the European Union are about seven years before finding a first job. And this is not because the language barrier. Swedish courses are accessible, free and widespread. Since the December 1, the political refugees - many in Sweden - must pass by the box employment. This was not the case previously, because they were receiving unemployment benefits upon their acceptance on Swedish soil. "We had a problem of attitude towards immigrants: before, it was limited to help and assist them.". "Now, we have changed approach: it must first which they put to work", explains Angeles Bermudez-Svankvist. The multiplication of the tasks of the Arbetsförmedlingen is however not without a significant financial effort. "Our Agency represents only 8 to 9 of the expenses of the State." "It is the most important position of budget," said the patron saint of the structure. Must be to address the hard core of the Swedish unemployment, be it explicit or disguised: one that strikes the least qualified, older women, immigrants, and a small minority of young people in early school failure. The part is difficult, but the Swedes seem to be well armed for the play.