Opposition critical of the budget – Helsingborgs Dagblad

But the government may find it difficult to meet their most important election promise. Prime Minister Stefan Löfven (S) has promised that Sweden will have the EU’s lowest unemployment rate of just under five years. Long way to go.

Germany currently has the lowest unemployment rate of around 4.8 percent. In Sweden, the Government expects an unemployment rate this year of 7.5 percent. It is then expected to decline slowly to 6.4 percent 2019th

– The goal stands firm, assures Andersson.

The unemployment forecast, the government has already anticipated the impact of job actions launched this year and as to be fully developed until the next election until 2018.

These include trainee jobs for young people, public extra services for long-term unemployed, more staff in elderly care, infrastructure investments and investments in education. The reforms are estimated to cost eight billion crowns this year and 23 billion at the end of the term.

– It is obvious that the government needs to come up with additional measures this fall, says Andersson.

She Mention was made of an active industrial policy, the Employment Service should be better able to match jobs with unemployed and on residential investment.

SE-Bank’s chief economist Robert Bergqvist think it will require a “very strong” labor market policies to reach the goal. He does not believe that unemployment in Germany will increase and so do the government’s goal easier to achieve.

Six months have already been lost to the government because of the autumn budget defeat. In terms of labor market policy so begins the government now only modestly implement a trainee jobs and extra services. This fall introduced the first 600 trainee jobs and more than 7,000 next year, in the election campaign there was talk of 32,000 during the term.

An important election promise was to discontinue the Phase 3 and offer long-term unemployed “real” jobs in the public welfare, so-called extra services. But only 10 million set aside for them in the fall. Focus will be to grow to 2.4 billion until 2018.

– It is estimated that it will take some time. It’s about finding jobs for these people, says Finance Minister Magdalena Andersson.

The government’s ability to powerful new investments going forward is limited by that public finances are estimated to have deficits until 2018. The cost of sick leave and asylum seekers and refugees increases. The Minister of Finance is aiming certainly not to reach the target of a surplus of one percent of GDP, but says:

– We will take a firm grip on public finances. Step by step, the deficit is grazed by.

However, it is unclear how long the government will stick to the principle that each new reform will be financed dollar for dollar. It will in all cases be valid in the autumn budget for 2016, which includes tax cuts for pensioners.

Alliance parties is hard on the government’s policy in the spring budget.

– It is a betrayal of jobs, says Liberal Party’s economic political spokesperson Erik Ullenhag.

The opposition Mention was made of the investments financed by raising employer contributions for young people. Alliance parties warn that it may increase youth unemployment.

The Moderates economic political spokesman Ulf Krister Andersson is also critical that the government raises taxes to invest in higher allowances and grants, especially height unemployment benefits.