Reformeringen av Arbetsförmedlingen. Det nya arbetsmarknadspolitiska experimentet i marknadstänkandets tidevarv

Abstract

In this essay, the ongoing marketization of the Swedish Public Employment Service (SPES) is discussed. The starting point is the great transformation of active labour market policy from the political centre to its periphery. A new labour market policy landscape emerges when the SPES is to be “fundamentally reformed” and so-called independent actors are to be responsible for matching and training jobseekers. This reform is viewed in relation to historical events as well as international studies on the marketization of employment services. The essay ends with a discussion of main challenges and of the reform.