Five hundred pieces. That is the number of jobs Anders Månsson, 61, has applied for in the past year. Since last summer, he has been unemployed full-time when he was notified. He is a trained mining engineer and has worked at Arbetsförmedlingen for 26 years in various roles. Since the turn of the year, he has applied for various administrative office jobs:
What kind of answers do you get when you search?
– Mostly nothing at all. It’s mostly quiet. It can feel very sluggish. Especially when you meet friends and acquaintances who ask “are you still out of work?” It affects you, he says with a sigh.
Second worst
According to a report that the Plus Commission presents today, Sweden is worse than several of its Nordic neighbors in employing those between 55 and 74 years of age. Of the Nordic countries, only Finland has a higher proportion of unemployed seniors. In Sweden, unemployment among the elderly is also higher than the EU average.
– It is bad considering the needs we have. It will strike against our prosperity and welfare. We need labor in a number of sectors and this affects how the whole country functions. But at the same time, if you have to look at the positive, it is that there is a lot of unused, competent labor around the corner that we can get better at using, says John Mellkvist, secretary general of the Plus Commission.
Experiencing discrimination
Anders Månsson feels that he has been discriminated against in the job search because of his age. He describes that many employers see that he is approaching retirement age instead of seeing his broad experience and desire to work.
– I can think that there is a youth fixation in this country. We don’t really hang out like we did in the old days with our elders. I think serious political measures are needed to get rid of ageism, he says.
Regulations and standards
John Mellkvist at the Plus Commission believes that the reason why so many Swedish over 55s are unemployed is that there is both widespread prejudice and direct discrimination against the elderly in the Swedish labor market. He says that both regulations and standards differ among the Nordic countries, where Sweden neither has as much flexibility as Denmark nor as much job security as Norway.
– It is a combination of ignorance and fear. People are afraid of falling behind in new technology and we have a fast, moving labor market that in many ways has a lot of factors that you consider or think would disadvantage the elderly. In fact, we have many factors where older people can make a big difference through their experience and security, he says.
Hoping for a solution
Anders Månsson is now willing to broaden his job search to new industries, look at alternative forms of employment such as temp work or perhaps start his own business.
– Of course, it’s not fun to have applied for so many jobs without getting anything. But I have a hope that it will work out, the alternative is unthinkable. If you’re lucky, it rattles and you get an offer, then it usually drops and then two or three come. Then you are suddenly sitting in a golden seat and can choose.