Problem addressed

Long-term unemployment was high even before the pandemic. Despite the boom and strong demand for labor, roughly 150,000 people in Sweden were long-term unemployed. During the pandemic, long-term unemployment has increased sharply. At the end of November 2023 more than 181,000 people were long-term unemployed. This is almost half of the total number registered at the Employment Service. At the same time as long-term unemployment is at a record high, and the need for targeted measures towards this group is greater than in a long time. 

We bealive that people are society's most important resource. In order to take advantage of everyone's opportunities, extra support is sometimes needed to find the right place in the labor market, which we as a social company offer at a time when more and more people are living on the margins. Over 1.3 million Swedes do not support themselves. In other words, only four of the country's ten million inhabitants are responsible for both their own livelihood and that of the rest of society. Sweden's exclusion costs society at least 270 billion kroner annually just in direct transfers and unpaid taxes, but above all, the high unemployment means great costs for the individual who is out of work and thus has reduced opportunities for self-support.

Innovative solution

Our solution to this is to offer people a safe place to either come back or enter the labor market through job training. Unlike other companies, our overarching goal is to integrate people into society and working life through work and participation; people who, for various reasons, find it difficult to get or keep a job. As a social enterprise, we are organizationally independent, that is, we are run as our own company and not by the state. We always have the employees' needs for work and participation at the center and the main aim is to integrate people in the labor market and in society.  Our customers understand that our work differs from others as we eliminate stress by having everyone work according to their own abilities. We include people by offering a second, third and a 100 chance back to a fulfilling life. Essentially, we always reinvest any profit back into the company by employing the people in job training to make them self-sufficient. Today we are 12 employees who have all started our journey through job training at Skaggbyran.

Key results and benefits

The method we use is regular follow-up calls where the person in job training can talk freely about their experiences regarding how work and inclusion work. A qualitative approach in the form of conversations with the person in job training to investigate
their thoughts and ideas regarding inclusion. The method is semi-structured interviews that are transcribed and then processed based on the purpose. The results of the conversations show the trainee's thoughts on inclusion. Most of them talk about how their self-esteem has grown as they are given greater responsibility by being included in the labor market

The benefits are increased self-confidence in individuals who have been out of the labor market for a long time. Slowly but surely, we build up the individual to dare to believe in himself that a future is possible. People who lived in isolation have grown into productive citizens of society and today live a life they never thought possible.

Potential for mainstreaming

One of the most important changes that need to happen to encourage social entrepreneurs and for more social enterprises to start and grow is to
clarify the business relationship to or collaboration with public actors. The public sector
knowledge of and ability to purchase services from and act as partners to or collaborate with
with Skaggbyran should increase as we feel that there is still an untapped potential for us to deliver societal benefits and new solutions to societal challenges. Our job is to reach out as there is largely a lack of knowledge about social entrepreneurship and a lack of incentive within the public sector to collaborate with social enterprises such as Skaggbyran.