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This week we ask how new curbs on permanent residency will hit immigrants.

As the Wallenberg family rescues a groundbreaking green steel project in northern Sweden, we examine whether the Swedish green transition has reached a fork in the road.

We also have a look at what goodies the government is showering over the electorate in the last budget before the election.

And in exclusive material for Membership+ subscribers we discuss Swedes’ favourite word – and we ask if our panelists can come up with a better one.

Host James Savage is joined this week by panelists Mandy Pipher and Emma Löfgren.

Here are links to some of the topics discussed in the episode:

• EXPLAINED: Who is affected by Sweden's law phasing out permanent residency

• KEY POINTS: Sweden's spring budget bill in less than a minute

• Swedish steel startup Stegra to receive 1.4 billion euro investment

• Is lagom really the best word in the Swedish language?

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Sweden in Focus Extra is a podcast for The Local's Membership+ subscribers.

Sign up to Membership+ now and get early, ad-free access to a full-length episode of the Sweden in Focus podcast every weekend, as well as Sweden in Focus Extra every Wednesday.

Please visit the link that applies to you and get a 40% discount on Membership+

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Read more about Membership+ in our help centre.

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Applicants for work permits in Sweden will soon have to earn 90 percent of the median wage, or just over 33,000 kronor a month, to qualify.

But some key professions will be exempted from the requirement. No decision has yet been made on exactly which jobs will be exempted, but The Local recently obtained lists of the professions provided to the government by the Migration Agency for consideration.

The Confederation of Swedish Enterprise, a lobby group representing Swedish businesses, has long sought to maintain Sweden's liberal work permit rules.

In this week’s episode, The Local's Richard Orange catches up with Amelie Berg, the organisation's expert on immigration and labour mobility issues, to get her take on the latest updates.

READ ALSO:

• Swedish businesses call for work permit exemption list 'as soon as possible'

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sign up here for their live Q&A sessions on working in Sweden

• April 16th session
• May 12th session
• June 16th session

Sweden in Focus Extra is a podcast for The Local's Membership+ subscribers.

Sign up to Membership+ now and get early, ad-free access to a full-length episode of the Sweden in Focus podcast every weekend, as well as Sweden in Focus Extra every Wednesday.

Please visit the link that applies to you and get a 40% discount on Membership+

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• For new members: Get Membership+

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How are constant changes to Sweden’s immigration rules, most recently the citizenship rules, affecting tech workers?

What does Sweden need to do to stay attractive to international talent?

And how is the AI shift affecting workers at Spotify?

In this week’s episode, The Local Sweden’s editor Emma Löfgren speaks with Péter Tóth, who is a data engineer and chairperson of Spotify Workers Unionen.

READ ALSO:

• Swedish union leaders warn 'haphazard' citizenship reforms could harm international reputation

Become a member at https://www.thelocal.se/podcasts/podcast-offer?tpcc=padlock.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sign up here for their live Q&A sessions on working in Sweden

• April 16th session
• May 12th session
• June 16th session

Sign up now and get early, ad-free access to a full-length episode of the Sweden in Focus podcast every weekend, as well as Sweden in Focus Extra every Wednesday.

Please visit the link that applies to you and get a 40% discount on Membership+

• For signed-in members: Upgrade to Membership+
• For new members: Get Membership+

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This week we ask whether the campaign for transitional rules for citizenship applicants has a chance.

And is Sweden really guilty of democratic backsliding, as a new report claims?

Also, why is snus is causing ructions between Sweden and France?

And anyone who has experienced the past few days will know, April in Sweden is notorious for its unreliable weather. So – for Membership+ subscribers – we put our panelists through their paces with a quiz about Swedish weather folklore.

Host James Savage is joined this week by regular panelists Emma Löfgren and Richard Orange.

Here are links to some of the topics discussed in the episode:

• Swedish union leaders warn 'haphazard' citizenship reforms could harm international reputation
• How can you show proof of Swedish and civics knowledge for citizenship?

• Five ways in which Sweden's government is eroding the rule of law

• A ban on being Swedish? Minister rails against France's new snus ban

Become a member at https://www.thelocal.se/podcasts/podcast-offer?tpcc=padlock.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sweden in Focus Extra is a podcast for The Local's Membership+ subscribers.

Sign up to Membership+ now and get early, ad-free access to a full-length episode of the Sweden in Focus podcast every weekend, as well as Sweden in Focus Extra every Wednesday.

Please visit the link that applies to you and get a 40% discount on Membership+

• For signed-in members: Upgrade to Membership+
• For new members: Get Membership+

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How are tougher immigration laws affecting Swedish companies and their ability to recruit the people they need to be able to compete internationally in a fast-changing labour market?

How important are immigration rules in attracting foreign workers?

And what do Swedish trade unions think about the lack of transitional rules in new citizenship legislation?

In this week’s episode, The Local Sweden’s editor Emma Löfgren speaks with Therese Svanström, chairperson of TCO, the Swedish Confederation of Professional Employees.

READ ALSO:

• Is Swedish media opinion on migration crackdown finally shifting?

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we talk about why some Swedish trade unions are pushing back against Sweden’s stricter immigration laws.

Also, with Easter around the corner we look at how the holiday is celebrated in Sweden.

For Membership+ subscribers we discuss the government’s plan to eject foreigners from Sweden for ‘bristande vandel’ or poor conduct.

Finally, we examine the 1,000-day backlog at the Swedish Migration Agency, and ask what – if anything – is being done to shorten it.

Host Paul O'Mahony is joined this week by regular panelists Emma Löfgren and Richard Orange.

Here are links to some of the topics discussed in the episode:

• Swedish migration minister doesn't rule out meeting citizenship campaigners
• Social Democrats join call to add transitional rules to citizenship bill

• Witches and herring: Seven traditions that reveal it's Easter in Sweden

• Sweden could start deporting foreigners over 'poor conduct' this summer

• Swedish Migration Agency works to cut backlog as waiting time passes 1,000 days

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Sign up now and get early, ad-free access to a full-length episode of the Sweden in Focus podcast every weekend, as well as Sweden in Focus Extra every Wednesday.

Please visit the link that applies to you and get a 40% discount on Membership+

• For signed-in members: Upgrade to Membership+
• For new members: Get Membership+

Become a member at https://www.thelocal.se/podcasts/podcast-offer?tpcc=padlock.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sweden in Focus Extra is a podcast for The Local's Membership+ subscribers.

Sign up to Membership+ now and get early, ad-free access to a full-length episode of the Sweden in Focus podcast every weekend, as well as Sweden in Focus Extra every Wednesday.

Please visit the link that applies to you and get a 40% discount on Membership+

• For signed-in members: Upgrade to Membership+
• For new members: Get Membership+

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In this week’s episode we’ll hear a conversation The Local’s Nordic editor Richard Orange had recently with Fredrik Kopsch, chief economist at the right-wing think tank Timbro.

The interview was carried out before Sweden’s government held a press conference in which they u-turned on policies leading to the deportation of well-integrated young adults and foreign workers.

This is a subject close to Kopsch’s heart. He released a book last year called Utvisad, or deported, which tackles these questions and he spoke in depth with Richard about what he thinks Sweden should be doing differently on immigration and integration, and how the government’s so-called paradigm shift on immigration has left him disillusioned with right-wing politics in Sweden.

Become a member at https://www.thelocal.se/podcasts/podcast-offer?tpcc=padlock.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.