Forced Migration in the OIC Member Countries:
Policy Framework Adopted by Host Countries
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outside of the assisted housing system can be difficult to reach with social services.188 Asylum
applicants in the EBO189 system are somewhat less likely to attend information sessions in
their reception unit and instead rely on information from family and friends. In surveys,
protection beneficiaries themselves are also more likely to report contact with the
Employment Service and introduction case workers if they are in municipality-arranged
housing.190 City authorities in Malmö and Stockholm have tried to address this by creating
special contact points or mobile units to reach out to refugee populations and
neighborhoods.191
Despite these difficulties, recognized refugees who settle themselves tend, on average, to have
higher employment rates and incomes192 —although this does not account for differences in
education levels or time in the country. The advantage experienced by self-settlers is likely
due in large part to the better economic conditions in the large cities and municipalities where
most settle. Social network effects from the substantial migrant-background communities in
many larger cities may also play a role.
Livelihoods and access to the labor market
Concerns about the potential social and economic costs of dependency, as well as difficulties
integrating earlier immigrant groups into the labor market, have made self-sufficiency and
employment a major priority of the Swedish government in recent years. Both asylum seekers
and protection beneficiaries have broad and unrestricted access to the labor market; neither
are required to apply for work permits or subject to any conditions on their employment.193
Policymakers have also invested substantial resources in initiatives designed to facilitate
refugees' entry into the labor market. The most prominent of these was a 2010 reform that
gave responsibility for integration and introduction activities to the Employment Service with
the goal of making employment more central to integration efforts for new arrivals.
Access to work during the asylum application period
Asylum seekers in Sweden receive permission to work once their application has been filed
and their identity has been confirmed.194 The Migration Agency is responsible for, where
possible, facilitating opportunities for asylum seekers to work or undertake training activities
during the reception period.195 During the reception interview (which normally occurs
immediately after filing their asylum claim),196 asylum seekers are given a briefing on their
188 Interview with Christina Grönberg, Social Development Unit, and Anna Mattsson, Stockholm Municipal Government,
April 13, 2016; Interview with Marten Martensson, Reception Unit, Region South, Migrationsverket, April 15, 2016
189 Eget boende (EBO) in full.
190 Boverket, Boendesituationen för nyanlända: Slutrapport
191 Interview with Ulrika Wickman, Head of the Social Welfare Department, Lene Cordes, Unit for Children and Families, and
Tarek Borg, Unit for Reception of Unaccompanied Minors, Malmö Municipal Government, April 14, 2016; and interview
with Christina Gronberg, Social Development Unit, and Anna Mattsson, Social Policy Department, Stockholm Municipal
Government, April 13, 2016
192 Boverket, Boendesituationen för nyanlända: Slutrapport
193 Permanent residents in Sweden are exempt from the requirement to hold a work permit under Chapter 2 (8) of the
Aliens Act. The Aliens Ordinance also excepts asylum seekers from obtaining a work permit under Chapter 5(4). Aliens
Ordinance, SFS 2006:97, Government Offices of Sweden (June 12, 2015)
194 Aliens Ordinance Chapter 5(4)
195 According to Chapter 4, Law on the Reception of Asylum Seekers and Others.
196 The substantial influx of new arrivals in the fall of 2015 exacerbated some of these difficulties. During the fall, the
reception interview, which does an initial mapping of asylum seekers' backgrounds, had to be cut short in order to speed up
the registration procedure. As a result, the Migration Agency has no data on these individuals (estimated to be about