Purpose: To describe occupational therapists experiences of development in occupational therapy at The Swedish Public Employment Service. Method: The study was conducted using qualitative interviews. Thirteen occupational therapists working at The Swedish Public Employment Service participated. The occupational therapists had a geographical spread throughout Sweden. Collected data was transcribed and analysed according to qualitative content analysis. Result: Data resulted in five categories as follows: To work with development of scientific methods, Importance of feasibility to competence development, Cooperation as a part of the improvement work, Preconditions to be person-centered and Importance of continual evaluation to improve actions. The occupational therapists describes in these categories various supportive and hindering factors at to what extent they had preconditions to carry out and develop occupational therapy at The Swedish Public Employment Service. Supporting factors were described as well-developed methods, a person-centered approach and intern cooperation. Obstructing factors were described as defective coordination between social actors in the community, insufficient evaluations, limited possibilities to competence development and implementation of research. Conclusion: This study contribute to knowledge of occupational therapists preconditions to development of methods and improvement work. The study shows that it is a lack of knowledge and a need of research is required to illustrate the role of occupational therapists within vocational rehabilitation at The Swedish Public Employment Service. / Syfte: Att beskriva arbetsterapeuters erfarenheter av utveckling inom arbetsterapi vid Arbetsförmedlingen i Sverige. Metod: Studien genomfördes med kvalitativa intervjuer. Tretton arbetsterapeuter med anställning vid Arbetsförmedlingen deltog. Arbetsterapeuterna hade en geografisk spridning över hela Sverige. Insamlad data transkriberades och analyserades enligt kvalitativ innehållsanalys. Resultat: Data resulterade i fem kategorier enligt följande: Att arbeta med utveckling av vetenskapliga metoder, Betydelsen av möjlighet till kompetensutveckling, Samverkan som en del i utvecklingsarbetet, Förutsättningar till personcentrering samt Betydelsen av ständig utvärdering för förbättrade åtgärder. Arbetsterapeuterna beskriver i dessa kategorier olika faktorer som stöttade och hindrade i vilken utsträckning som de hade förutsättningar att utföra och utveckla arbetsterapi vid Arbetsförmedlingen. Stödjande faktorer beskrevs bland annat som välutvecklade metoder, ett personcentrerat arbetssätt och interna samarbeten. Hindrande faktorer beskrevs som undermålig samverkan med samhällsaktörer, bristande utvärderingar samt begränsade möjligheter till kompetensutveckling och implementering av forskning. Slutsats: Studien bidrar till kunskap kring arbetsterapeuternas förutsättningar till utveckling av metoder och förbättrande arbetssätt. Studien visar på en kunskapslucka och behov av forskning kring ämnet är nödvändigt för att belysa arbetsterapeuters roll inom den arbetslivsinriktade rehabiliteringen vid Arbetsförmedlingen.

The aim of this paper is to research and discuss the role the cultural politics play for the Swedish employment office (Arbetsförmedlingen) and the meaning culture politics have within the labour market policy. A research has shown that Arbetsförmedlingen evaluates unemployed cultural workers differently than regular registered jobseekers. From an instrumental perspective on political implementation this can be considered as an anomali. Arbetsförmedlingen’s mandate derives from the government and its authority is a tool for carrying out state policy. A study, conducted on how Arbetsförmedlingen handles matching of culture jobseekers in the labour market can therefore be utilized as guidance towards possible answers regarding the state’s cultural policy in general. The problem formulation presented above led to the following inquiry: Does Arbetsförmedlingen have a cultural political assignment appointed by the government? Furthermore, what does the answer to the question imply regarding the Swedish cultural policy? A descriptive analysis of ideas are applied in order to examine governmental political documents and Arbetsförmedlingen’s regulations. The inquiry has generated a no answer for its question.  Arbetsförmedlingen does not have a cultural political assignment. The governmental organization has primarily a labour market political mission and in this context it signifies that it balances the cultural labour market. The result indicates that the Swedish cultural policy are presently diverting from the traditional Swedish model, where the state had a closer relationship to the culture and the culture workers.

The objective of this thesis is to forecast the number of people registered at the Swedish Public Employment Service (Arbetsförmedlingen) that will manage to get employment each month and examine how accurate the forecasts are. The Swedish Public Employment Service is a government-funded agency in Sweden working to keep the unemployment rate low. When someone is unemployed or looking for a new job, he or she can register at the Swedish Public Employment Service. Being able to forecast well how many are expected to get employment could be useful when planning and making decisions. It could also be used as an indicator of how well the Swedish Public Employment Service manages to perform and thus how well the tax money is used. The models employed for forecasting were the seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average (SARIMA) and the long short-term memory (LSTM). A persistence model is also used as a baseline. The persistence model is a very simple model and the other models are therefore expected to outperform it. For the LSTM model, the use of both univariate and multivariate approaches will be explored in order to examine if the model can be improved with more data. Results from the experiments performed showed that a multivariate LSTM performed the lowest root mean squared error (RMSE) and is therefore considered the best model. However, the robustness of the model over time needs further research. / Syftet med detta arbete är att göra prognoser på hur många av de registrerade på Arbetsförmedlingen som kommer att få arbete en viss månad och undersöka hur noggranna dessa prognoser blir. Arbetsförmedlingen är en skattefinansierad myndighet i Sverige som arbetar med att hålla arbetslösheten låg. När någon är arbetslös eller letar efter ett arbete kan man registrera sig hos Arbetsförmedlingen. Att kunna göra bra prognoser på hur många som kommer att få arbete skulle kunna vara användbart vid planering och beslutfattande. Det skulle också kunna användas som en indikator på hur väl Arbetsförmedlingen använder skattepengarna. De modeller som har använts är seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average (SARIMA) och long short-term memory (LSTM). En persistensmodell används också som baslinje. Persistensmodellen är en enkel modell och därför förväntas de andra modellerna prestera bättre. För LSTM-modellen kommer användningen av både envariabla och flervariabla tillvägagångssätt att undersökas för att testa om mer data kan förbättra modellen. Resultat från experimenten visar att det var en LSTM-modell med flera variabler som presterade lägst root mean squared error (RMSE) och anses därför vara den bästa modellen. Det behövs dock ytterligare studier för att undersöka modellens stabilitet över tid.

Background and Aim: Development and digitalization of contemporary work life means that leadership at a distance becomes commonplace practice in an increasing number of organizations. Which affects leader prerequisites to handle their followers psychosocial work environment. This study´s aim was to explore office workers perceptions of how leadership at a distance affects their psychosocial work environment. Methods: Ten informants (coworkers) from the Swedish Public Employment Service were interviewed using semi-structured questions and their narratives were analyzed using inductive content analysis. Results: The analysis resulted in three salient sub-themes which were Equality, Contraposition, and Losses. These sub-themes resulted in a main theme that expresses how leadership at a distance holds potential for improved psychosocial work conditions. If leaders acknowledge the increased autonomy employees expect from a remote leadership. And cooperate with their employees to compensate for the losses that accompany physical distance. Leadership at a distance also contains risks when the contact between leadership and employee doesn´t compensate for the losses that comes with physical absence. Which can lead to a psychosocial work environment where employees experience alienation, feelings of disregard and a lack of support.  Conclusions: Leadership at a distance seems to create opportunities for employees to experience an improved psychosocial work environment, through a more autonomous everyday work environment. Including an opportunity for peer relation with their manager. With physical distance follows a loss of inter-human contact and fewer possibilities for a manager to perceive their co-workers everyday work environment. Meaning conditions where managers become dependent on their employees in a new way, not only for task performance, but for being able to handle psychosocial work conditions. Even if remote leadership seems compatible with a satisfying psychosocial work environment. The work place needs to make an effort for leaders to be present in new ways that facilitates psychological and functional closeness. In a way that allows managers to provide the freedom employees expect from a distance leadership along with the attention they need. Without letting their own control needs lead to detailed control and increased monitoring which may lead to a negative psychosocial work environment. Examples where leaders, and organizations as a whole, needs to reconsider new ways are: How to achieve availability, managers insight into the everyday work environment, building relationships that facilitate trust, and communicate clear expectations.   Key Words: Leadership at a distance, remote leadership, psychosocial work environment, Swedish Public Employment Service, qualitative content analysis

Marketisation reforms has for a long time been a recurring and debated phenomena, which has recently blossomed by the reform proposal of the Swedish Public Employment Service presented in the so-called “January-agreement”. The aim of this qualitative study is therefor to examine the reform proposal of the Swedish Public Employment Service presented in the “January-agreement” and relate this to marketisation. This will in this study be done by theory consuming of first George Sörensen theory about the impact of globalization on the welfare state, to give a broad view of the cause of marketisation. Then Patrik Halls definition of marketisation within NPM, to explain the meaning and effects of marketisation. And finally, Bo Rothsteins description of the market-equal model, to examine how the creation of legitimacy can be seen as a motive for the reform. The conclusions show that marketisation can describe the reform proposal presented in the January-agreement, which can be seen as a creation of public constructed market with a distinct client focus. Further, the market-equal model shows how the low public confidence for the Swedish Public Employment Service can be seen as a strong motive for some type of marketisation in other to create an increased legitimacy. / Marknadisering har länge varit ett återkommande debatterat ämne, som nyligen blommat upp genom reformförslaget av Arbetsförmedlingen i det så kallade Januariavtalet. Målet med denna kvalitativa studie är därför att förklara och analysera reformförslaget i Januariavtalet och relatera det till marknadisering. Det görs i uppsatsen genom en teorikonsumering av först George Sörensens teori om globaliseringens påverkan på välfärdsstaten, som används för att ge en bredare syn av orsaken till marknadisering. Sedan kommer Patrik Halls definition av marknadisering inom NPM användas för att förklara innebörden och effekterna av marknadisering. Till sist används Bo Rothsteins förklaring av den marknadslika modellen, för att förkalkar hur reformförslaget kan motiveras utifrån en legitimitetsaspekt. Uppsatsens huvudsakliga slutsatser är att marknadisering kan förklara reformförslaget i Januariavtalet, som kan ses som ett skapande av en offentlig marknad med tydligt kundfokus. Utifrån den marknadslika modellen kan Arbetsförmedlingens låga förtroende ses som ett strakt motiv för någon form av marknadisering för att skapa legitimitet.

I september 2019 valde Arbetsförmedlingen att samarbeta med framgångsrika personer i reklamkampanjen Gör plats. Kampanjen bestod av fem bilder där frågan ställdes om de framgångsrika personerna hade nått lika stor framgång om de haft en funktionsnedsättning. En av bilderna föreställde Therese Lindgren och Natalie Eriksson vilken var en bild som fick stor kritik. Studien syftar till att göra en medieanalys av kampanjen för att undersöka hur kritiken kring kampanjen såg ut samt hanterades av Arbetsförmedlingen. Därtill undersöker även studien hur de båda medverkande beskrev sin uppfattning av kampanjen i sociala medier. Studien visar att de teman som kritiken främst handlar om kan delas in i fyra kategorier: att tillräcklig information inte getts, fotograferingen, modellerna på bilderna samt kampanjbildens text. Arbetsförmedlingen hanterade kritiken på flera sätt däribland genom att svara på frågor som ställdes. Det värsta med bilden är enligt Natalie Eriksson texten som hon inte var medveten om skulle vara med. Therese Lindgren ansåg till en början att kampanjen lyfte en viktig fråga och försvarar den men väljer efter ytterligare kritik att be om ursäkt. / In September 2019, the Swedish Public Employment Service chose to cooperate with successful people in the advertising campaign Gör plats (eng. Make room). The campaign consisted of five pictures questioning if these successful people would have become equally successful if they had had a disability. One of the pictures presented Therese Lindgren and Natalie Eriksson, which was a picture that received the largest criticism. The study aims to conduct a media analysis of the campaign to examine what the criticism of the campaign looked like and how the Swedish Public Employment Service handled the criticism. In addition to this, the study also examines how the participants described their perception of the campaign in social media. Case study is used as a method in the study where material has been collected via triangulation and has been analyzed through a qualitative content analysis. The collected material has been analyzed in relation to the theories: media and convergence, influencer, influencer marketing, social responsibility, and context. The study shows that the themes which the criticism is mainly about can be divided into four categories: that sufficient information has not been given, the photography session, the models of the pictures, and the text of the campaign picture. The Swedish Public Employment Service handled the criticism in several ways, amongst this by answering the questions that were asked. Another way in which the criticism was handled was by apologizing to the participants. Natalie Eriksson’s perception of the campaign describes that models with CP are vulnerable, and she felt that the photographer did everything to aggravate her CP during the photography session. According to Natalie Eriksson, the worst part of the picture is the text, which she was not aware would be included. At first, Therese Lindgren thought that the campaign raised an important issue, and she defended the campaign. After further criticism, she chose to educate herself in multiple questions and she is sorry that the pictures have caused harm. The intentions where good but the result was the opposite and according to Therese Lindgren, the campaign should never have been made.

At the end of 2022 nearly 75 percent of those registered unemployed at the Swedish Public Employment Service [PES] was considered to belong to the category of long term unemployed with weak competitiveness in the labour market. This group of individuals is often aligned with numerous complex needs. To counteract and end unemployment in this group the PES need comprehensive collaborations with other actors.    The aim of this study is to examine and compare how the Swedish PES and the local labour market offices in three Swedish municipalities collaborate and communicate regarding the local job tracks. The study is limited to three questions: How does the PES and the municipality collaborate around the local job tracks? What prerequisites must be in place to facilitate the communication that successful collaboration requires? What factors affect the prerequisites of communications both positively and negatively?   To answer our questions, we have used a qualitative method and interviewed three respondents in each of the three municipalities. To analyse our results, we’ve used the terms regulations, organisations, point of view and relational power taken from two theories of collaboration developed by sociologist Berth Danermark.    Our findings show that the prerequisite needed to facilitate the communication that successful collaboration needs are clearly defined guidelines in the written agreements around communication, clearly organised communicative roles as well as continued dialogue to create shared points of view and reflection.

This study investigates the interplay between institutional structures, organizational culture, and the efficacy of employment initiatives, focusing on the Swedish Public Employment Service (Arbetsförmedlingen) and its implementation of subsidized employment programs known as "nystartsjobb."  Through qualitative interviews and analysis of existing literature, the study examines how external institutional pressures shape Arbetsförmedlingen's approach to addressing potential exploitation within “nystartsjobb” placements. Findings reveal a complex dynamic wherein the organization navigates formal and informal norms of the labor market while striving to maintain legitimacy and public trust.  Despite acknowledging the risk of employer exploitation, respondents note a lack of proactive measures to prevent exploitation, with interventions typically triggered by specific complaints or suspicions. Furthermore, the study highlights internal organizational attitudes, with nystartsjobb often viewed as a short-term support mechanism rather than a pathway to sustainable employment. The absence of systematic follow-up exacerbates this issue, hindering the program's ability to fulfill long-term employment goals.  Ultimately, the study underscores the significance of both institutional structures and organizational culture in shaping the implementation and outcomes of employment policies, while also prompting considerations for future research on program effectiveness and sustainability.

This study aims to examine which mechanisms affect young adults' trust in authorities, with a focus on capital composition, and specifically cultural capital (education). Through this focus on capital, the study examines the underlying factors that affect what requirements that young adults feel that they can demand of/put on authorities. The data material has been collected through six interviews with young adults aged 20–30 who are, or during the past year have been, registered at the Public Employment Service (Arbetsförmedlingen) in Stockholm, Sweden. The reference framework that formed the basis for the analysis consists of Pierre Bourdieu's capital theory and the concept of habitus, in addition to Max Weber's theories on status and accumulation of opportunities. The results of the study shows that capital composition correlates with trust level, but that the level of trust also relates to which extent an authority meets the expectations that exist around their services. Moreover, the results show that the level of trust correlates with the level of risk the young adult must take to trust authority. / Denna uppsats är en kvalitativ intervjustudie som syftar till att undersöka vilka faktorer som påverkar unga vuxnas tillitsnivå till myndigheter, med inriktning på kapitalsammansättning och framförallt kulturellt kapital (utbildning). Dessutom undersöker studien vilka bakomliggande faktorer som påverkar vilka krav unga vuxna upplever att de kan ställa på myndigheter, även detta med fokus på olika typer av kapital. Datamaterialet har samlats in genom sex intervjuer med unga vuxna i åldern 20–30 år som är, eller under det senaste året varit, inskrivna på Arbetsförmedlingen i Stockholms stad. Den referensram som legat till grund för analysarbetet har bestått av Pierre Bourdieus kapitalteori och begreppet habitus samt av Max Webers teorier kring status och möjlighetsansamling. Resultaten av studien visar att kapitalsammansättning korrelerar med tillitsnivå, men att nivån av tillit också har att göra med i vilken utsträckning myndigheter uppfyller de förväntningar som existerar kring deras tjänster. Dessutom visar resultatet att nivån av tillit korrelerar med hur stor risk det innebär för individen att hysa tillit till myndigheten.

The Swedish Public Employment Service's reform based on the so-called January agreement from 2019 has since its initiation been an ongoing issue in the Swedish public debate. As a result of the reform, several municipalities have expressed experiences that the operational cooperation in individual cases has deteriorated. The experiences are significant, as cooperation between the Swedish Public Employment Service, municipalities and other actors has been described as a prerequisite for realizing labor market policy. The purpose of the thesis is therefore to study what the operational labor market policy cooperation in individual cases looks like in four Swedish municipalities and how municipal officials perceive that the conditions for this cooperation are affected by the Public Employment Service's reform. This through a qualitative interview study, with a strategic selection of municipalities. The study is thus based on a local perspective and the selection of municipalities is made in order to cover several contextual factors that could potentially affect the municipal experiences. The theoretical starting points are taken from the theory of interorganizational cooperation. The result shows consistent experience in all the municipalities interviewed that the conditions for the interorganizational operational cooperation in individual cases at the local level being negatively affected by the Swedish Public Employment Service's reform. Both in terms of cooperation between the municipalities and the Public Employment Service as well as between the municipalities and independent actors (in cases where they cooperated before the reform). The main reason for the deteriorating cooperation is described as a changed local presence, reduced contact areas and reduced personal relationships at the administrator level. These factors have also been identified by the municipal representatives as the most important factors to address in order for there to be an appropriate and well-functioning cooperation. / Arbetsförmedlingens reformering med utgångspunkt i den så kallade Januariöverenskommelsen från 2019 har sedan dess initiering varit en pågående fråga i den svenska samhällsdebatten. Till följd av reformen har flera kommuner uttryckt erfarenheter av att det operativa samverkan i individärenden försämrats. Erfarenheterna är betydelsefulla eftersom samverkan mellan Arbetsförmedlingen, kommuner och andra aktörer beskrivits som en förutsättning för att realisera arbetsmarknadspolitiken. Syftet med uppsatsen är därför att studera hur den operativa arbetsmarknadspolitiska samverkan i individärenden ser ut i fyra svenska kommuner samt hur kommunala tjänstepersoner uppfattar att förutsättningarna för denna samverkan påverkats av Arbetsförmedlingens reformering. Detta genom en kvalitativ intervjustudie, med ett strategiskt urval av kommuner utifrån kommunernas geografiska position och hur Arbetsförmedlingen valt att arrangera myndighetens lokala närvaro. Studien utgår därmed från ett lokalt perspektiv och urvalet av kommuner görs i syfte att täcka in flera kontextuella faktorer som potentiellt kan påverka de kommunala erfarenheterna. Studiens resultat visar på samstämmiga erfarenheter hos de intervjudade kommunföreträdarna om att förutsättningarna för den interorganisatoriska operativa samverkan i individärenden på lokal nivå påverkats negativt av Arbetsförmedlingens reformering. Både när det gäller samverkan mellan kommunerna och Arbetsförmedlingen samt mellan kommunerna och fristående aktörer (i de fall de samverkat innan reformen). De främsta orsakerna till den försämrade samverkan beskrivs vara Arbetsförmedlingens förändrade lokala närvaro, minskade kontaktytor och minskade personliga relationer på handläggarnivå. Faktorerna har utifrån de intervjuade kommunföreträdarna identifierats som viktiga för att främja en ändamålsenlig och välfungerande samverkan.