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Why don’t employers hire long-term unemployed entitled to a wage subsidy? The employer’s perspective on subsidised employment

Author

Listed:
  • Lars Behrenz

    (Linnaeus University, Department of Economics and Statistics, Sweden)

  • Jonas MÃ¥nsson

    (Blekinge Institute of Technology, Department of Industrial Economics and Management, Sweden)

Abstract

Despite a generous system with high wage subsidies for the long-term unemployed and newly arrived immigrants, many Swedish employers do not make use of this opportunity. This study seeks to increase knowledge of why some employers use the opportunity and others do not. Both register and survey data and combined register and survey data are used. One finding is that employers lack information about the subsidy programmes, although employers that had previously employed subsidised workers were much more likely to employ them in the future. Thus, a key policy question is how to present these subsidies to employers to reduce this barrier. The study also found that some employers hired people from these groups from altruistic motives. However, some employers responded that they would not employ a person entitled to a subsidy, regardless of the content of the subsidy scheme.

Suggested Citation

  • Lars Behrenz & Jonas MÃ¥nsson, 2023. "Why don’t employers hire long-term unemployed entitled to a wage subsidy? The employer’s perspective on subsidised employment," Economic and Industrial Democracy, Department of Economic History, Uppsala University, Sweden, vol. 44(1), pages 161-183, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:ecoind:v:44:y:2023:i:1:p:161-183
    DOI: 10.1177/0143831X211064338
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    References listed on IDEAS

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