Politika trhu práce vo Švédsku a na Slovensku
Politics of Labour Market in Sweden and Slovak Republic

Summary/Abstract: Politics of Labour Market in Sweden and Slovakia. To answer the questions, to what extent Sweden remains a role model in fighting unemployment in the 1990s, what lessons can be learned from this Scandinavian country and which are the similarities and differences between the concept of ALPM in Slovakia and Sweden, the author compares labour market policy arrangements in the countries in question. She focuses in particular on the LM institutions; rules of financing of the LMP; entitlements, duration and level of unemployment benefits and other forms of labour income replacement in case of unemployment; labour market programmes (content and extent). By comparing the two LMP regimes the author comes to several points that would deserve theoretical research as well as a broader political discussion. For example: - more transparent division between contributions for unemployment insurance and the financing of the ALPM in Slovakia should be considered. The role of the state in financing the ALMP should be discussed since for the moment being the state does not financially contribute to supporting active measures. Both, active and passive spending are covered by contributions of employers and employees and the amount of finance to ALMP is thus directly dependent on how much is needed for paying out insurance (a residual ALMP); - some additional measures to prevent abuse of unemployment insurance are needed to reconsider, for example, the introduction of total (lifetime) entitlement period for receiving unemployment insurance benefits; - to minimise the risk of social exclusion, more targeted LM programmes for youth, long-term unemployed, low-skilled, disabled should be designed and more responsibility for their running should be shifted on municipalities, etc. The author realises that it is impossible to copy the institutions, rules, etc. that are relatively effective in combatting unemployment in other countries and to expect that they will automatically work and bring desirable results in a transforming economy with a specific cultural heritage and historical experience. But she also believes that it is necessary to learn lessons and analyse practices of other countries that have more experience in labour market policies as has Slovakia. In this respect Sweden still serves as a repository not only for transforming countries of Central and Eastern Europe but also for their more developed neighbours.

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