The Tidö parties have proposed to raise the subsistence requirement for labor immigration to 80 percent of the median salary in Sweden. With this year’s median salary of SEK 33,200, This means that labor immigrants must earn at least SEK 26,560, according to the proposal. Migration Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard (M) said that it is part of tightening the conditions for labor immigration, while Liberals’ labor market policy spokesperson Camilla Mårtensen said that it is high enough to stop labor immigration in the lowest paid professions but still keep highly qualified labor immigration. Magnus Persson (SD) said that with this proposal, the lowest paid occupations will not be able to meet the new requirements.
The proposal is met with criticism from across the political spectrum. Douglas Thor calls it “the stupidest thing from the government so far” and Svenskt näringsliv’s vice president Karin Johansson said that it is an intervention in the Swedish labor market model. Center party’s migration policy spokesperson Jonny Cato believes that it risks hitting certain industries hard, while Social Democrats’ migration policy spokesperson Anders Ygeman said that it will only have a marginal effect and that frivolous labor immigration will continue.
