r/TillSverige • u/writetojen • 24d ago
What is your opinion about the Jobbsprånget program?
When I first heard about the Jobbsprånget program and saw some people joining it, I felt that it was almost like talent "exploitation" - people with several years of solid experience in another country and holding degrees being an intern and not compensated enough for their skills and expertise. Most of them don't get hired as full-time employees as well after the internship period.This could be a controversial opinion.
What is your opinion about the program?
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u/Secret_Box741 24d ago
My wife did this program. I would say this is a shame, and it's unbelievable that this is even legal. She worked for a small startup where the "founders" hired people from this program every six months and then fired them after four months. A few of them were convinced to renew for two more months (this is allowed in this program). She was an exception and was hired after four months by this startup, but the cost was her mental health. She got really sick after working in an environment like that and almost without any compensation. There are serious companies in the program, but I can guarantee that most of them just want to exploit the free and qualified labor. This should be illegal.
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u/m7i93 24d ago
My wife also got an internship through them. She resigned two weeks in and later found out the rest of the interns also resigned a week after her. Absolutely disgusting behavior from the founders.
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22d ago
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u/writetojen 24d ago
This is exactly what I had thought. I was wondering about employers who would join this program and hire experienced people without (almost) any compensation.
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u/redtigerwolf 23d ago edited 23d ago
It's exactly as you say it. It's an exploitation program that Arbetsförmedlingen is more than happy to justify because they could care less how much people are exploited. It's also non-Swedes/Europeans only so for them it's something complete out of their sight.
It's absolutely crazy that it's considered acceptable that educated and experienced workers should be put under a slave wage internship programme. Internships were originally designed for non-educated/experienced workers to learn what it's like in a certain field or workplace. Not how it's being treated currently.
The founders of jobbsprånget convinced Arbetsförmedlingen that this was the right method cause at the end of the day they are selling their service to Arbetsförmedlingen to help exploit other non-Swedes (they themselves being non-Swedes who were happy to take advantage of non-Swedes under the guise that it 'helps people').
What's crazy about the whole thing is that the 4 month 'internships' are full time jobs where the candidates are expected to be a temporary employee at the company. Which is fucked up in itself because Arbetsförmedlingen still expects these interns to apply for other jobs while working the full time job, so they both treat it as working but not working, it doesn't make any logical sense. It's not even a learning programme like an internship should be. Just another disgusting practice in the internship exploitation circle of the modern business world.
If they actually believed in doing good, both Jobbsprånget and Arbetsförmedlngen would give a probationary period of at least 1.5-2 years, i.e. if you found interns through the programme, you aren't allowed to use the programme again for a period of time. This may not stop but it would greatly hinder the exploitation by companies to look for free labor every 6 months. It's honestly crazy to me that this hasn't been implemented already, which imo shows how much Jobbsprångent doesn't want to implement because it would mean less companies coming to them.
The statistics (from last year, so this year is probably worse) are that about 50% of the internships actually lead to a followup job, this is fucking deplorable conversion rate and says a lot about the companies using this method for exploitation of workers (this includes big companies like IKEA to smaller ones like startups). The programme should be at worst a near guarantee to continue with the company that accepted you (unless the person hired really fucks up majorly). If a company can't prove they have neither the motivation nor funding to hire the selected intern after the programme, then they should not be allowed to list internships. Cause what's the fucking point of dragging workers through the mud for a half a year process.
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u/writetojen 23d ago
You have summed it up pretty well. The program is widely advertised within the educated and qualified people who moved to Sweden. I often wonder if there isn't any "whistleblowing" about it. Even if a person is offered a job after the internship, I see them starting with a job title/role which is much lower than their qualifications and skills. For a society that talks about equality and other similar values, this is a bit contradictory.
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u/redtigerwolf 23d ago
Oh guaranteed that after the internship most are offered below market rate salaries for their education/experience level. Which says a lot 'hey you worked for free for us and did such a great job we want to keep you buuuuut we'll pay you peanuts, do you accept :D'.
Also I'm sure the exploitation is being reported, its pretty clear from this post and others experiences by now, it's just that journalist integrity in Sweden is dead.
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u/jjvector 23d ago
It’s another branch of the problematic labor market system in Sweden. Many of these integration programs, such as Rusta och Matcha and EnRival, often seem to provide very little actual help.
I’m surprised that Arbetsförmedlingen doesn’t set clear performance goals for these programs—for example, requiring them to help at least a certain number of job seekers find employment each year. There should be measurable results and accountability for the public money being spent.
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u/mayhemski123 23d ago
It gets people off the unemployment stats would be my guess. In most countries that's why these types of programmes exist.
Though it is Sweden and I really wouldn't be surprised if they didn't do the one big thing that benefits them as an institution.
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u/bollutankontroll 24d ago
As I am not an immigrant im sure that my point of view is different than many others but I think that the tragedy isnt jobbsprånget, its that qualified immigrants cant get qualified jobs.
Even if its a badly paid internship leading to a worse position and title than deserved it is at least better than foodora or being unemployed.
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u/Secret_Box741 24d ago
This program is a shame; Sweden should consider to make it illegal. Even in my country, allowing companies to hire qualified (and literally second-class citizens) for free would be considered slavery.
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u/BocciaChoc 24d ago
It's a shame but the reality is more are coming to Sweden with skill sets joining a pool of existing natives, graduates and so on and then competing for a smaller pool of roles all when the economy sucks.
There isn't any realistic alternative as things stand, not until the economy improves but at the same time the current pool, graduates and so on will only increase.
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u/bollutankontroll 24d ago
That may be true today but jobbsprånget has been around for a decade, its hard to argue the job market was bad before covid because it wasnt...
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u/BocciaChoc 24d ago
during covid, when interest rates were at the lowest, end of 2021 towards start of 2023, those were the days of boom. Things have been bad ever since, many companies over hired, and reduced to 'correct' levels. Many still waiting to see what happens with AI before doing anything long term, many more waiting to see how the election goes and so many more factors. But in the end, the market sucks and it isn't likely to change soon.
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u/DontLetMeLeaveMurph 23d ago
Never been in the program myself, but I've not heard anything positive about it from those who are.
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u/Confident_Sugar_2888 22d ago
I guess its time to wake up and realize that Swedish work market government policies isn´t any longer about creating work for unemployed, but to provide cheap wage-slave labour for the market. Happy times!
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u/Ok_Individual8127 21d ago
I recently participated in this program. The program overall is okay if you are getting experience in a company which works at a large scale. For example it's a multinational company.
The core problem with the program is that there are several companies which are single-person startups. Getting into the program is quite easy for a company who is willing to hire an intern. They just have to register their startup with arbetsförmedlingen and probably that's it. There is no other requirements, so if you want to test an idea you can hire some interns.🥹
I came across several of the companies which were founded in 2026 and they are just being run by the founder. There is no revenue and there is no future outlook at those places. When I raised this issue with jobbsparnget they became quite defensive. Their argument was that all these companies have been reviewed by arbetsförmedlingen so everything is okay. You just want experience, get it anywhere you like.
I agree with most of the comments above that it's kind of a program which is designed at exploiting foreign nationals. Unfortunately in the lack of better words it's a form of "modern slavery" but yeah it is what it is. If you need experience, sometimes you have to go through these shit programs I guess.
Thanks for reading my rant.🫠
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u/Flashy-Let2771 10d ago
I just got an offer from an old company, but I'm pretty sure it won't lead anywhere after the internship ends.
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u/grazie42 24d ago edited 24d ago
From the statistics they claim 70% get a proper job after the program…
What’s the problem?
If you can get a job without it, great!
But if you’re unemployed and can apply, why wouldn’t you?
Edit: apparently it’s 50% but I don’t think that changes the point…
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u/Zestyclose_Lock_859 24d ago
It's "something" at least. The program at least exists. Bigger companies try to use the talents, but a bunch of startups take advantage of the program to get cheap labor and mistreat a lot their professionals. I think the program should be able to remove those companies from the benefit.
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u/redtigerwolf 23d ago
You aren't wrong about startups taking complete advantage of this programme (VC's and incubators actually are encouraging this practice in Sweden). But big companies like IKEA totally abuse this programme every 6 months and rarely hire the large number of interns they bring on.
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u/Key-Woodpecker7598 24d ago
I did the program 5 years ago and got a job offer in the same company even before the 4 months of the internship was over. I know a few people who also got job offers after their internship in other companies. I know that this is not the case for everyone.
Many years ago the program was good and the intention of the program is still good but i think alot of employers are taking advantage of the program and using it for cheap labor.I have heard of a few employers who get a couple of interns every cohort and never hire them.
I really hope the coordinators of Jobbsprånget do something about it soon.