Swedish Emilia got a job thanks to Youth Power 2.0

“When you apply for a job via the Public Employment Service on a screen from home, the human being is lost. Everything is in writing and you don’t get to show what kind of a person you are. I did get to do this during the matching, which is a great advantage,” says Emilia Holmkvist. 

After finishing her childminder training, Emilia Holmkvist had only had zero-hours contracts in the industry and in municipal institutions. Now she is on a six-month full-time contract at the Fröhuset preschool in Kvidinge i Åstorp municipality thanks to Ung kraft 2.0.

This is one of two initiatives where the recruitment process includes matching jobseekers and employers and the two parties actually get to meet.

Reactions to statistics led to action

In spring 2024, Åstorp municipality had the highest unemployment rate in Skåne according to the Swedish Public Employment Service. This municipality in north-western Skåne was the worst out of all of the 33 municipalities in the region.

“We had to do something.”

That was Annica Nilsson’s reaction. She is the assistant head at Fröhuset, one of the municipality’s 18 nurseries that ten years ago created an internship for a young unemployed person as part of the Ung kraft (Young power) project. Since then, they have had several interns. 

Annica Nilsson is the head teacher at Fröhuset, a preschool inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach. This means that children are viewed as competent and important members of society, worthy of being listened to and provided with ample space to express their creativity.

Nilsson tells the Nordic Labour Journal that she got in touch with the municipality’s labour market department after reading the statistics from the Public Employment Service.

“I was wondering whether we could revive Ung kraft and include those who are furthest from the labour market. This is about building relationships with the interns in the same way that we build relationships with the children here in the preschool, taking them in regardless of their background.

“Over the years, we have succeeded in getting many of our interns into substitute jobs here or elsewhere, or into further studies. So I feel that we have made a contribution and we want to continue doing that.”

Annica Nilsson was not the only one who wanted to act. Linnéa Engnes, the head of the municipality’s labour market department, had received similar proposals. Together with development coordinator Anna Bergqvist, she was already working on drafting Ung kraft 2.0 to offer young job seekers jobs within some of the municipality’s workplaces.

“Together with the Public Employment Service, my boss took the proposal to the politicians because a municipal decision was needed to secure funding to move the process forward,” says Linnéa Engnes.

The location is crucial for business expansion 

Åstorp has many businesses and a favourable location. Helsingborg and its large harbour is around 20 kilometres away, and both the international E4 road, national road 21 and county road 112 pass through the municipality – creating good conditions for a hub, which several businesses have taken advantage of.

Among them are the sustainable food logistics company Frigoscandia and logistics company Frode Laursen, whose warehouse is just around the corner from the building housing the municipal labour market department, Komvux and day-to-day operations. Pet accessory firm Dogman is another. 

The municipality – which besides the central town of Åstorp also includes the localities of Kvidinge, Nyvång and Hyllinge – has around 16,500 residents and 1,250 registered companies. 

All of them benefit from the well-developed public transport system. The central town has a train and bus station for Skåne’s regional buses, which increases access not only for the municipality’s residents but also for those who want to commute here.

This is also a municipality that invests in development to strengthen its attractiveness, explains Linnéa Engnes.

“We are renovating and building schools and the town centre is being revitalised with, among other things, a new municipal building.”

Municipal and private project involvement

Linnéa Engnes and Anna Bergqvist did not put action against the high youth unemployment rate on hold while waiting for a municipal decision on the financing of Ung kraft 2.0. They used thattime to launch the project Ungdomsboost (Youth boost).

Linnéa Engnes (left) and Anna Bergqvist work closely together with both Ung kraft 2 and Ungdomsboost. Photo: Anna Johansson Fast 

“We had to put words into action and focus on individuals, not the target group,” says Anna Bergqvist.

They approached local businesses to ask if they might accept a long-term unemployed young person for potential future employment.

“Ungdomsboost did strike a chord with employers. We got the impression that they felt this was something they had to help solve,” says Linnéa Engnes.

When ten businesses had said yes, the labour market department turned to young people in the municipality who had been unemployed for at least nine months.

“The reactions varied. Some were happy. Others felt it was scary, like a near-job experience. Others again were waiting for admission results or had another good plan in place.”

The matching between businesses and the unemployed youths took place in September.

“The ten youths who came were well prepared. They had done job interview training, were well-dressed and had well-written CVs. That made an impression on the employers who said: What great young people,” says Linnéa Engnes.

Eight of these ten got internships. After the first month, five have secured a one-year contract with practical work at one of Åstorp’s companies in industries such as logistics, technology, industry, and heating, ventilation and sanitation. They all work full-time 40 hours a week and have a supervisor on-site.

When Ung Kraft 2.0 received funding, eight internship positions were created at municipal workplaces in care and welfare, the technical office, with a primary school’s caretaker and kitchen, and at various preschools, including Fröhuset.

All those who accepted started with one month of internship, just like with Ungdomsboost. If all went well, the intern moved to a six-month contract.

What is common for both Ung kraft 2.0 and Ungdomsboost is that the young people still get their Public Employment Service employment support. The support is individual, and for Ung kraft, the municipality covers the difference between it and the monthly salary of 22,500 kronor (€1,960). 

The same applies to businesses participating in Ungdomsboost, with the difference being that they offer individual wages. This means that 22,500 kronor is a minimum wage. 

“Thanks to this project, young people have the opportunity to access the labour market and work full-time in one place, giving them a reference they can use on their CV,” says Annica Nilsson.

A childminder in the right place

Emilia Holmkvist took this opportunity and secured a full-time job in the occupation she was trained for.

Emilia Holmkvist felt happy at once at Fröhuset preschool.

“I have always loved children and have a younger brother and two older sisters, one of whom has two little children.”

Emilia, the staff and children at the Fröhuset preschool got along straight away.

“When I came here, I felt welcome and immediately started enjoying myself. Everyone was nice and it felt like the staff meant what they were saying.”

Another source of joy is that the three-year-olds Emilia works with develop all the time.

“After the Christmas holidays, some of the children had learned new words, and that makes it even more fun to chat with them and notice how their language is developing.”

Emilia is dyslexic and did not get any help with this during her time in primary school. Hers was a big class and teachers often came and went, she explains. In upper secondary school she got support from a special education teacher and today she knows how to handle her dyslexia. 

“I can read aloud for the children without problem,” she says, and adds that if she can help others succeed she gladly does this.

The future is around the corner

The aim of Ung kraft 2.0 and Ungdomsboost is to give young people workplace experience, creating a frame of reference that helps them move forward.

Emilia Holmqvist and all the other young people get a labour market coach from day one. This is a municipal employee who follows them up regularly and is available for both the employee and employer when needed.

This spring, the coach will help the young people plan for their future. The choice is between working or studying. 

Open doors

Ung kraft 2.0 and Ungdomsboost have increased cooperation in the municipality.

“Different stakeholders now find it easier to get in touch with each other and we have learned how to find different ways in,” says Linnéa Engnes, and tells us how a business owner got in touch after their first match with a young person.

“He wanted to know whether we had another one. In that case, he could hire that person without getting any economic support.”

After the first rounds of interviews at Ungdomsboost, Linnéa Engnes had the pleasure of calling a young person to tell them that “four employers have chosen you, so now you get to choose”.

“The feeling of being able to give that message is hard to describe,” she says.

The programme's goal is to run a fresh round of Ungdomsboost and also continue Ung kraft, but the future depends on the influx of young people and on political decisions.

“When we got in touch with the businesses in the municipality, many answered: not right now, but do get back in touch in the spring. We hope to be able to do that.”