The government has decided to hire Maria Hemström Hemmingsson as the new director general and head of the Employment Agency. She comes most recently from the position of director general and manager at the Institute for Labor Market and Education Policy Evaluation, IFAU.
Maria Hemström Hemmingsson has extensive experience in labor market issues from her time as a researcher, during her time as ministerial advisor at the Ministry of Labor and as director general of IFAU. Maria Hemström Hemmingsson will take up the position on 1 March 2024.
– I look forward to Maria Hemström Hemmingsson leading the important work at the Employment Agency and the agency’s work to become more efficient with a clear focus on the core business. When the government has searched for a new director-general, it has been about finding a person who can take on this important work and with good experience in leading authorities. The government has also previously appointed a new chairman and new board members with the aim of having a board that can contribute to the work with increased efficiency and focus on core operations.
– I also want to take the opportunity to thank Lars Lööw for his efforts as interim director general and also his previous work as director general of the Employment Agency, says Minister of Labor Markets and Integration Johan Pehrson.
Better matching and increased mobility
– A well-functioning labor market is of great importance for prosperity in Sweden. Everyone who can work must work, says Labor Market and Integration Minister Johan Pehrson.
The government continues the work of re-establishing the work line. Everyone who can work must work. It is a prerequisite for the Swedish welfare society. Labor market policy therefore needs to be designed so that more people get into work and that it becomes more cost-effective. Work with people who are or are at risk of becoming long-term unemployed must be prioritized. In order to meet the needs of the labor market, in this year’s regulatory letter, the government gave the Employment Agency a new goal, among other things, to improve matching and support the supply of skills through, among other things, establishment jobs, start-up jobs and matching services, as well as by increasing the number of participants in labor market training, work experience, wage subsidies and the number of transitions to education. The employment service must also increase geographical and occupational mobility.
The employment service must also contribute to the overall goal of reducing the percentage of incorrect payments from Swedish authorities and strengthening its work with efficient and legally secure case handling.
