Background information

The job security councils were established to administer support outlined in the job security agreements. A job security council is a non-profit foundation, which provides support to employees who have lost their job due to collective redundancies. The council helps these employees in their efforts to find new employment. They provide advice and consultation to the employers and trade unions.

They also provide transition services and guidance to workers who are made redundant; this includes labour market and training market information, training, business start-up support. In most cases, support activities are initiated by some form of counselling, guidance meetings, or advisory seminars, to determine the characteristics of and possibilities for the person as well as what opportunities and challenges there are. These initial activities are usually followed by further measures in the form of training or education, personal development activities, study, or support in starting a new business.

Employees facing redundancy may also receive financial compensation, in addition to general unemployment benefits; this may exceed the maximum amount of unemployment benefits to which a person is entitled. This can occur if an employee finds a new job that involves a lower salary than their previous position.

Content of measure

This measure is available to employees having been employed for a minimum period (normally over one year) on a permanent contract and facing dismissal.

The work of the job security council normally starts before the dismissals take place. The council is a separate legal entity, known as a collective agreement foundation (Kollektivavtalstiftelse). It is made up of a board of representatives from the different partners involved in the collective bargaining agreement, with the seats split equally between the employer representatives and employee representatives. The board has the task of deciding upon the scope and content of the support that is to be granted. The system works like an insurance system and the premiums that are paid by each company vary between sectors and occupational groups (as defined by the trade unions). About 0.3% of the wage bill is paid by each affiliated company. In certain circumstances, local agreements can be drawn up; they provide less comprehensive support but also involve lower payroll contributions – ranging from 0.18 % to 0.3 % for affiliated companies and from 0.7% to 0.58 % for non-affiliated ones. When applying for support, each redundant employee receives financial support ranging between €2,000 and €3,000; this is to cover the costs for job coaching and other supportive measures.

The advisers and consultants working in the job security council have a high degree of freedom in preparing individualised support for each affected employee. The measures provided are flexible and the support activities are tailored to the needs of each individual, taking into account their qualifications, professional interests, and personal preferences and concerns. In some agreements, the support activities last for a maximum of five years, or until the employee has found a new job or chosen to discontinue their relationship with the council. However, support usually is provided for a period of six to eight months.

Use of measure

Between 1990 and 2009, the Job security foundation, TRR (the most prominent job security council in Sweden) has been involved in approximately 18,500 restructuring projects and has supported more than 10,000 individuals in their new activities or jobs. A total of 74% of these individuals find a new job or other solution, such as proceed to higher education, while 26% remain job seekers. Of those who find a job, 60% become employed within the public sector and 40% find work in the private sector.

As of 2019, 9 out of 10 active job-seeking clients found a new job, studies or became self-employed within seven months following their first contact with the job security foundation. Among the clients, 7% start own businesses. 68 % of the clients have an equal or higher salary as the job they were forced to leave. In general, the number of clients has increased over the past two years, from 10,957 clients in 2017 to 14,189 clients in 2019. According to Trygghetsrådet (2019), this is due to digitalisation that affects the business model and practices withing several sectors. Another cause mentioned is political insecurity, affecting the automobile industry.

TRR further reported that during the period of March to May 2020, 32,000 more officials were given notice of leave than the same period in 2019. During this time, the applications to the Trygghetsrådet doubled.

During 2023, the number of redundancies and dismissals had increased since the year before. 16,147 white-collar employees in the private sector received support through TRR, which is more than twice as many as in 2022. However, 94% of those had either gotten a new job, began studies, or started their own business at the end of the year. In 2024, the number of redundancies have once again increased with 4,771 applying for support at TRR during the first quarter of the year, which was an 81 % increase compared to the same period in 2023. Between April and May 2024, the number of applications reached 4,892. 95% of all support receivers had gotten a new job, began studying or started their own business by July 2024.

Target groups

Workers	Businesses	Citizens
Employees in standard employment Unemployed	Applies to all businesses	Does not apply to citizens

Actors and funding

Actors	Funding
Social insurance	Companies

Social partners

Social partners' role in designing the measure and form of involvement:

	Trade unions	Employers' organisations
Role	Unknown	Unknown
Form	Not applicable	Not applicable

Social partners' role in the implementation, monitoring and assessment phase:

• Unknown
• Main level of involvement: Unknown

Involvement

Unknown

Views and reactions

Unknown

Sources

• 25 October 1974: Trygghetsrådet (www.trr.se)
• 29 August 2022: Regeringen (2022) Omställnings- och kompetensstöd (www.regeringen.se)
• 30 September 2022: TRR (2022), Utökat uppdrag för TRR (www.trr.se)
• 09 January 2024: Trygghetsrådet (2023) Fler uppsägningar med rekordkort väg till nytt jobb (www.trr.se)
• 05 April 2024: Trygghetsrådet (2024) Fortsatt tuff arbetsmarknad för tjänstemän (www.trr.se)
• 02 July 2024: Trygghetsrådet (2024) Ökning av uppsagda med många hittar nytt jobb (www.trr.se)