Ministry of Employment

Since the early 2000s, Sweden’s Government has worked with gender budgeting. Gender budgeting means that prioritisations, choices of direction and resources in the budget should promote gender equality as far as possible. BUDGe is a Swedish budgeting tool that comprises gender equality, surveying, analysis and conclusions.

On January 21, 2021 the Government adopted an action plan for equal rights and opportunities for LGBTIQ people. The action plan contains concrete measures to strengthen the rights and opportunities of LGBTIQ people in the coming years. The action plan applies until 2023 but also contains strategic initiatives to ensure that the efforts continue in the long-term.

In the Budget Bill for 2022, the Government proposes a reinforced jobs policy with new measures so that everyone can participate and take Sweden forward after the pandemic. These measures include providing more people with employment training, counteracting long-term unemployment, giving older jobseekers more time in new start jobs and introducing more unemployed people with disabilities to the working world.

Everyone has a right to a safe and secure work environment. A poor work environment should never provide a competitive advantage. Companies that deliberately contravene laws and regulations to gain competitive advantages create unhealthy competition in the labour market. In the Budget Bill for 2022, the Government proposes three measures to create security in the labour market and curb work-related crime.

Men’s violence against women must stop. This is a priority issue for the Government. In the Budget Bill for 2022, the Government proposes a range of measures to prevent and combat men’s violence against women and honour-based violence and oppression. This involves permanent funds and government grants, and a sheltered housing reform for adults and children who are subjected to violence.

On Monday, Minister for EU Affairs Hans Dahlgren and Minister for Employment Eva Nordmark met with French Minister of Labour, Employment and Economic Inclusion Élisabeth Borne and French Minister of State for European Affairs Clément Beaune. The aim of the meeting was to discuss various current issues, with a focus on the EU minimum wage proposal.

This compilation contains a selection of acts and ordinances – both new and amended – that enter into force in mid-2021.

Men’s violence against women must end. The Government is today presenting a package of measures for future work to prevent and combat men’s violence against women. The package includes measures to prevent the use of violence, support and protection to those affected and stricter legislation regarding prosecuting those who subject their partner or former partner to violence.

Swedish Minister for Environment and Climate, Per Bolund, Minister for Gender Equality and Housing, Märta Stenevi, and Minister for Energy and Digital Development, Anders Ygeman, met with French Minister for Ecological Transition, Barbara Pompili, on her visit to Stockholm, to discuss joint efforts to enhance the green transition at national, European and global levels.

This material provides an overview of main areas of the Government policy on gender equality. It describes current political goals and strategies and gives a brief historical background to important reforms. It also identifies further remaining challenges and explains how the feminist Government is addressing these and what measures are taken in order to initiate change.

The Government has appointed an Inquiry Chair who will propose a national strategy to prevent and combat violence against children, including honour-based violence and oppression. The strategy should take an integrated and coherent approach to preventing and combating violence against children over the next ten years. The decision is based on an agreement between the Government, the Centre Party and the Liberal Party.

How many people work at the Government Offices? What was the central government budget like last year? How many acts and ordinances were issued last year? The answer to these and other questions can be found in the Swedish Government Offices Yearbook 2020.

Opinion piece by Swedish Minister for Gender Equality and Housing Märta Stenevi, together with 20 other European politicians. Published in Swedish newspaper ETC along with other European newspapers on 11 May 2021.

On 11 May 2021, the Swedish Government will join the international celebrations to mark the 10th anniversary of the Istanbul Convention. The Istanbul Convention is the informal name of the Council of Europe’s Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence.

The Government has proposed gender equality initiatives in the Spring Budget for 2021. The proposal is based on an agreement between the government parties, the Centre Party and the Liberal Party.

The Government has decided to refer proposals to the Council on Legislation for amendments to the Aliens Act. The amendments are being proposed to ensure that Swedish migration policy is sustainable in the long term and provides a humane, legally secure and effective regulatory framework that is not materially different from migration policies in other EU Member States.

The Government has today decided that the new agency proposed by the Government, the human rights institute, is to be located in Lund. An Inquiry Chair has been instructed to prepare for and carry out the formation of the new agency. The agency is to be established on 1 January 2022.

In this Communication, the Government presents its work environment strategy for 2021–2025. The work environment strategy sets out the Government’s long-term policy focus in this area over the next five years.

On 15–19 March, Minister for Gender Equality Märta Stenevi will take part digitally in the sixty-fifth session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW65). The priority theme is women’s opportunities for participation and decision-making in public life, and the elimination of violence against women.