Newly educated Alexander, 32: Stopped counting after 600 applied for jobs

The job market in Sweden started to give way last autumn and has since worsened. The forecast from Statistics Norway and the Employment Agency indicates that even more people will become unemployed during the year.

More bankruptcies and notices also indicate a worse development for the employees.

Notification pending

- The construction industry is in free fall after no new production of properties takes place. The restaurant industry is also hard hit and we also see how the retail trade has had problems, says Svenskt Näringsliv's chief economist Sven-Olov Daunfeldt.

- Close to a third of all our member companies say they may need to give notice within six months, says Svenskt Näringsliv's chief economist Sven-Olov Daunfeldt.

Alexander Tarler from Stockholm is one of those looking for a job. He attended work-oriented training as a programmer where it was said that there were very good chances of getting a job.

But at the same time that he was fully trained in April last year, many companies in the IT industry pulled the handbrake.

Not getting into the labor market has been tough for Alexander Tarler:

- It eats away at you. After 600 nos that I received from companies when I applied for a job, you don't feel particularly wanted.

Requires action

Swedish Business is now calling for comprehensive measures from the government to mitigate the crisis.

- The government must now focus on investment-driven growth, and here it is very much about building up the infrastructure, which is very neglected in Sweden. It is about SEK 70 billion to restore everything to an okay level.

Now the government has an opportunity to invest when there is a recession. Otherwise, the danger is that a vicious spiral is created when people who are notified also reduce their consumption, says chief economist Sven-Olov Daunfeldt.

Alexander Tarler has not given up on getting a job.

- I will work as a programmer. It feels like I've been running a marathon my whole life to get a career. Now there are two meters left and I'm not giving up, says Alexander Tarler.