Anställningsbidrag: integration eller etnisk segmentering?

The number of persons in Sweden with subsidized jobs has grown. At the same time, the share of foreign-born with subsidized jobs has increased, while the share of disabled has declined. The subsidized jobs are most common in the retail, restaurant, cleaning and staffing sectors. The present study investigates all new subsidized jobs in 2016 in these sectors in Helsingborg. The study found clear signs of ethnic segmentation as a significant share of foreign-born persons with subsidized jobs had employers with a foreign background, while the domestic-born (including almost all disabled) usually had native employers. Most subsidized jobs provided by employers with a foreign background were in small firms without collective agreements. A conclusion is that subsidized jobs risk reinforcing the ethnic labour market segmentation.