{"podcast":{"title":"Sweden in Focus","slug":"sweden-in-focus-3984454","podcast_index_feed_id":3984454,"rss_url":"https://access.acast.com/rss/77ca3392-3d6f-434f-8821-6472a6c25d8d","website_url":"https://shows.acast.com/sweden-in-focus/episodes/nato-in-sight-book-tips-swedish-work-permits","image_url":"https://assets.pippa.io/shows/60f989d37b49f291bd61251a/show-cover.png","author":"O'Mahony Paul","episode_count":286,"summary":"In this episode of Sweden in Focus Extra we chat about the government's new plans to tighten labour migration with Catharina Bildt Grape, an expert on migration, integration and labour market issues at the Swedish Federation of Business Owners (Företagarna). Host Paul O’Mahony is joined by Catharina Bildt Grape to talk about plans to raise the income requirement for work permit applicants to more than 34,000 kronor per month. They discuss: How companies are reacting to the plans How Företagarna intends to respond Was the old system too liberal? How will the new three-stage process work? The employment service will draw up a list of professions that should be exempted; the Migration Agency will change the lists if necessary; the government gives final approval. How wide-ranging will the exemptions be? How likely is it that groups like Företagarna can convince the government to change its plans? What impact will the proposed system have on Sweden's competitiveness? DON'T MISS: Everything you need to know about Sweden's plans for tougher work permit rules","last_synced_at":"2026-07-19T02:20:47.519475+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/sweden-in-focus-3984454"},"episode":{"title":"‘It’s wrong for the Swedish state to decide who companies should employ’","slug":"it-s-wrong-for-the-swedish-state-to-decide-who-companies-should-employ","published_at":"2026-04-15T03:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/sweden-in-focus-3984454/it-s-wrong-for-the-swedish-state-to-decide-who-companies-should-employ","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/sweden-in-focus-3984454","url":"https://shows.acast.com/sweden-in-focus/episodes/wrong-for-the-swedish-state-to-decide-who-companies-shou","audio_url":"https://sphinx.acast.com/p/acast/s/sweden-in-focus/e/69de57faae33864715fd8eac/media.mp3?tk=eyJ0ayI6ImRlZmF1bHQiLCJhZHMiOnRydWUsInNwb25zIjp0cnVlLCJzdGF0dXMiOiJwcml2YXRlIn0=&sig=6tdQASvvS8d_R_aS6y-ZsbVEOETewYbB06Dg3brJftk","summary":"Get Membership+ to listen to all The Local's podcasts Sweden in Focus Extra is a podcast for The Local's Membership+ subscribers. Sign up to Membership+ now and get early, ad-free access to a full-length episode of the Sweden in Focus podcast every weekend, as well as Sweden in Focus Extra every Wednesday. Please visit the link that applies to you and get a 40% discount on Membership+ For signed-in members: Upgrade to Membership+ For new members: Get Membership+  Read more about Membership+ in our help centre . __ Applicants for work permits in Sweden will soon have to earn 90 percent of the median wage, or just over 33,000 kronor a month, to qualify. But some key professions will be exempted from the requirement. No decision has yet been made on exactly which jobs will be exempted, but The Local recently obtained lists of the professions provided to the government by the Migration Agency for consideration. The Confederation of Swedish Enterprise, a lobby group representing Swedish businesses, has long sought to maintain Sweden's liberal work permit rules. In this week’s episode, The Local's Richard Orange catches up with Amelie Berg , the organisation's expert on immigration and labour mobility issues, to get her take on the latest updates.  READ ALSO: Swedish businesses call for work permit exemption list 'as soon as possible' Become a member at https://www.thelocal.se/podcasts/podcast-offer?tpcc=padlock . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.","meta_description":"Get Membership+ to listen to all The Local's podcasts Sweden in Focus Extra is a podcast for The Local's Membership+ subscribers. Sign up to Membership+ n…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":252,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/sweden-in-focus-3984454/episodes/it-s-wrong-for-the-swedish-state-to-decide-who-companies-should-employ/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/sweden-in-focus-3984454/it-s-wrong-for-the-swedish-state-to-decide-who-companies-should-employ.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}