Recent figures from the Swedish Public Employment Service and Statistics Sweden show that youth unemployment in Sweden is at record levels.

According to Minister of Labor Eva Nordmark, the government has already done much to curb youth unemployment.

She mentions that the government has contributed SEK 280 million for summer jobs this year and that it is also investing in education.

- But we are prepared to do more.

At the same time, it should be remembered that half of the young people who are unemployed are full-time students.

I'm not so worried about them.

The ones I'm worried about are the ones who neither study nor work.

There we must ensure that young people receive the right support.

Here, the municipalities are very important and have a great responsibility, says the Minister of Labor.

When asked about the government's responsibility, she points out that the pandemic crisis is something that the government has not had control over.

"Many had not finished high school"

How do you see that youth unemployment was relatively high even before the pandemic?

- The young people who were outside the labor market before the pandemic are very much about not having finished high school.

Passing upper secondary school is the very entrance ticket to the Swedish labor market.

So that's extremely important.

The government's goal is for everyone to both begin and complete their upper secondary education.

There we need more education in labor market policy, says Eva Nordmark.

Next year, the government will reduce employer contributions for young people by SEK 9 billion per year.

According to leading researchers, this is an expensive and inefficient way to get young people into jobs.

How do you look at it?

- It is no secret that this is not my or the Social Democrats' favorite measure, but this is the result of compromises and that we have cooperation across several parties.

But if ever it was justified, it is now.

These are industries where very many young people have had to leave their jobs.

So if it can have an effect on the jobs there, it is very well justified, says Minister of Labor Eva Nordmark.