FALCON POWERS – New statements from the Swedish Minister of Employment and Integration, Mats Persson, indicated that the mistake made by previous “socialist” Swedish governments, which also included the liberals, was welcoming migrants with generous assistance instead of accepting them under strict conditions and laws that require them to learn and enter the labor market to support themselves in order to remain in Sweden.
He added: “Swedish governments have made a mistake by following immigration and integration policies that welcome migrants by providing housing, living assistance, child benefits, and cash allowances, instead of setting demands and conditions for incoming migrants to learn the language and work to support themselves.” He stated that these “failed” policies have caused the isolation of migrant backgrounds, who are current Swedes but completely detached from society, such as Swedes of Somali origin.
The Swedish minister pointed out that Somali backgrounds exemplify the negative reality, as half of Somali-Swedes are unemployed and many of those who work have low salaries that are insufficient to secure their living. This is due to the fact that we have relied on the mentality of providing care and assistance as a primary goal in integration policy. Therefore, migrants received a psychological and practical message saying, “You can easily request money or receive it from generous assistance,” instead of the message: “You must support yourself and work.” The Minister of Employment confirmed that “this is the biggest mistake we have made in our country.”
Persson also highlighted the differences between immigration in countries like America and Canada compared to Sweden. Migrants, such as Somalis in Sweden, face significant difficulties in employment, integration, and language, while Somali migrants in Canada and America have had a much better and more successful experience. He considered the main reason to be that the two countries, America and Canada, focus on immigration for highly skilled labor and select educated migrants from Somalia, while Sweden has relied on immigration for asylum reasons. He affirmed that the Swedish government is on its way to ending all this distortion in the integration system and establishing the idea of working for self-sufficiency and living in Sweden.
