Measures to ensure that more people learn Swedish

The ability to speak, understand and write in Swedish is key for children to succeed in school and adults to get established in the labour market. The Government has announced investments in the area of integration, totalling SEK 196 million.

Pilot projects with intensive training in the Swedish language

Good knowledge of Swedish is necessary for success in school. In the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) international survey, the percentage of low-achieving students in reading comprehension is twice as high among students who are second-generation immigrants. This is reflected in the Progress in International Literacy Study (PIRLS), which measures ten-year-olds’ reading comprehension. For students who grow up in areas where social exclusion is prevalent and have parents who are not native Swedish speakers, school may be one of the few places where they encounter the Swedish language. The Government therefore intends to implement a new pilot project including three-year language-improving initiatives for students who need intensive training in the Swedish language. For 2025, the Government proposes an investment of SEK 100 million for the pilot project and estimates the same amount for 2026 and 2027.

“Children who cannot speak, read or write in Swedish are falling behind in school. The Government’s investments are essential to getting more people to learn Swedish and become part of society,” says former Minister for Employment and Integration Johan Pehrson.

Language-skills investment in out-of-school centres 

Almost one in four 15-year-olds who completed the PISA international survey in 2022 did not achieve the lowest proficiency level on the reading scale for continued learning.

There is great opportunity for out-of-school centres to help improve pupils’ language development. The Government therefore proposes setting aside funds to carry out measures to enhance efforts at out-of-school centres to improve reading skills and pupils' Swedish language skills, focusing on students with a foreign background.

This investment could include support material or education initiatives for the out-of-school centres’ staff.

Language and integration initiatives for foreign-born people who are at home with children

In the Budget Bill for 2025, the Government proposes allocating SEK 31 million to integration initiatives aimed at foreign-born people who are at home with children in order to increase newly arrived immigrants’ opportunities to learn Swedish.

Foreign-born women have more difficulties establishing themselves in the labour market compared to foreign-born men. This can be largely explained by the fact that they take greater responsibility for childcare. Since many foreign-born women have children within a few years of arriving in Sweden, there is a need for targeted initiatives. In the Budget Bill for 2025, the Government therefore proposes allocating SEK 31 million to language training initiatives, measures to promote reading and study and career guidance for newly arrived and other foreign-born women.

Aside from increased opportunities to get established in the labour market and society, the investment could contribute to increased participation in preschools of children with foreign-born parents, which also leads to increased opportunities for their successful integration.

“Women born outside Sweden have more difficulties entering the Swedish labour market for several reasons. To ensure this group's successful integration, targeted initiatives such as language training and career guidance are needed,” says former Minister for Migration Maria Malmer Stenergard.

Mapping Swedish-language skills of foreign-born people

There is currently no reliable information on how well foreign-born people speak and understand Swedish. The Government wants to improve the follow-up of the Swedish language skills of foreign-born people and therefore proposes allocating SEK 4 million in the Budget Bill for 2025 to follow up on listening, communication and reading skills among foreign-born people.

The requirement for improved Swedish-language skills is clarified in the Government’s new integration objectives. Information on reading, listening and communication skills of foreign-born people is therefore important to better follow up on integration and ensure the effectiveness of the initiatives offered.

“Not enough information is currently available on the Swedish-language skills of foreign-born people. Through better follow-up of language skills, we can offer more effective integration initiatives,” says labour market policy spokesperson for the Christian Democrats Magnus Jacobsson.

Strengthened efforts against honour-based norms that limit individuals’ sexual self-determination

The Government intends to strengthen efforts for sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) with a focus on areas where social exclusion is prevalent, and thus proposes allocating SEK 12 million for 2025.

Sexual and reproductive health and rights mean that everyone should have the right to freely choose if, when and with whom they wish to have a relationship or marry, and whether they want children, when and how many. Everyone has a right to physical integrity, privacy, their sexual orientation and gender identity, without limitations or stigma. Everyone has a right to freedom from discrimination, including harassment and sexual harassment, as well as honour-based violence and oppression. These are rights and fundamental values on which Swedish society was built.

The Government proposes allocating SEK 12 million for this purpose in the Budget Bill for 2025. The expectation is that SEK 12 million per year will be set aside for this purpose for 2026 and 2027.

“Honour-based violence and oppression limit people’s freedom and life opportunities. The Government is strengthening efforts in areas where social exclusion is prevalent. We will not compromise on equality and our society’s fundamental values,” says gender equality spokesperson for the Sweden Democrats Michael Rubbestad.

Employees in the welfare sector must receive language training

Insufficient Swedish-language skills among staff in the care of older people has been highlighted in supervisory and government inquiries. Some staff in preschools also have inadequate language skills to further the pupils' language development. The proposal on language training in the welfare sector is a continuation of the investment for employees in the care of older people and preschools that was initiated in 2021 and expanded in 2022. The Government proposes allocating SEK 40 million for 2025 to fund language training initiatives, and to continue this investment until 2026.

The proposals are based on an agreement between the Government and the Sweden Democrats.