Great interest in research on employment protection legislation

3 May 2018

On Thursday, IFN arranged a well-attended seminar on research on the seniority rules in the employment protection legaislation (Las). Per Skedinger and Martin Olsson, IFN presented a report and an article has also been published in the same subject in Economic Debate. They found, among other things, that the so-called two-round increase increases staff turnover, acts as a growth barrier, increases productivity and reduces the absence of the companies in question, with a maximum of 10 employees. In a subsequent panel, Per Skedinger, IFN, Carin Ulander-Wänman, Umeå University, Mikael Sandström, TCO, Thomas Carlén, LO, and Martin Ådahl, Center Party. Willy Silberstein was the moderator.

From left Mikael Sandström, Carin Ulander-Wänman, Martin Ådahl, Per Skedinger and Thomas Carlén. Photo: Kajsa Kax.

Carin Ulander-Wänman advocated that the union and employers find a system for systematic skills development. Photo: Kajsa Kax.

Per Skedinger, IFN, explained at the seminar held at IVA, that all non-socialist parliamentary parties advocate changes to make the seniority rules in the employment protection legaislation (Las) less restrictive. Social Democrats and the Green Party (MP) want the rules to remain the same while the Left Party wants to make the rules more restrictive. In his presentation of the research, Martin Olsson, IFN, explained that the rules seniority affect employee absenteeism due to sickness or caring for a sick child (vab). In the latter case, the more restictive rules make the dads abcent fewer days while the absence of mothers remains the same.

The seminar was well-attended and the questions from the audience many. Photo: Kajsa Kax.

Mikael Sandström, chief economist TCO, said that the issue of rules of turmoil and LAS is far too complicated to be taken up in a constituency when "politicians speak into corners".

Presentations by Martin Olsson and Per Skedinger

Published May 3