- Until recently, an unemployed person in Sweden who participated in an active labour market programme earned entitlement to a further 60 weeks of unemployment insurance (UI) benefits. A "carousel" effect - cycling between periods of open unemployment and participation in active programmes - increasingly seen came to be seen as a factor making the active programmes less effective in promoting the transition to ordinary work. Following policy reforms in 2000 and 2001, participation in a programme no longer generates new UI entitlements. However, the public employment service (PES) can refer the unemployed to a new programme, the Activity Guarantee. This provides continuing income support, and engages participants in job-search and other activities in principle full-time until they find ordinary work.
- This paper summarises findings from two questionnaire surveys of the implementation of the Activity Guarantee. The first survey was addressed to PES case workers, who have direct ...
