The researcher on youth unemployment: "Remove the freedom of school choice"

There are two reasons why youth unemployment has been high in Sweden since the 1990s, says Alexandru Panican.

The first is that upper secondary education has become a requirement to enter the labor market. The second is that far too few choose a vocational program at high school. At least half of the students should choose a vocational program, but in Sweden the level is rather around 30 percent, according to Panican.

- So already when the young people in ninth grade choose a program, we know ahead of time that in three years there will be another failure, he says.

Alexandru Panican describes that in many other European countries there is a professional pride for practical professions that he thinks is missing in Sweden.

- There are completely wrong ideas that you will not realize yourself or become successful in life if you choose a vocational program.

He says that there is a lot of research that shows that the freedom of choice in the school market leads to errors, but feels that this issue is missing from the political debate.

- There are industries in Sweden that are crying out for labour, but despite that we have lots of unemployed young people. That's where the matching problem comes in. The jobs cannot be taken by many young people because they do not have the required skills.

Are there any policy measures that you see would be effective?

- Absolutely. Take away the freedom of school choice, just shut it down, and nationalize the school. Schools sell education and young people are buyers. There is a lot of research that shows that this does not work, that it causes it for the young people. Despite that, they continue in the same way.

Alexandru Panican says that the approach that has caused vocational programs to be devalued has its roots in the construction of the Swedish welfare state.

- It was agreed that everyone should have the same opportunities for development in life, regardless of socio-economic background. The idea is very good, but it has gone wrong. Abstract knowledge and theoretical programs have been valued at the expense of everything related to vocational programs and apprenticeships, he says.

Research shows that investments in real jobs with pay have a better effect than what he describes as "meaningless internships".

Panican says that much of the political rhetoric today is aimed at the young, but that the problem is structural.

- The young people do not need more control and pointers. They need jobs.