Från bruksmentalitet till anställningsbarhet – eller från ett flytande begrepp till ett annat?

Abstract

In the aftermath of globalisation and automation, many former industrial communities in Sweden are still struggling with the transition to a service-oriented economy. In this article, I present analyses of ethnographic observations from two labour market policy measures organised in a distinctly industrial environment where the notion of an “industrial mentality” emerged as an explanation for high unemployment and low study motivation. The results show how local value systems can affect the understanding and translation of labour market policies when translated to the local level.