Myndigheternas betydelse i arbetsmarknadsintegrationen

Sammanfattning: This essay compares the two Swedish municipalities Landskrona and Värnamo, in order to understand the difference in achieved integration on the labor market. By using Mill’s method of disagreement, and conducting interviews with persons with key positions in the integration process, based on theories of integration, the essay reaches the conclusion that authorities can be the difference between successful and unsuccessful labor market integration. By individualizing the introduction to Swedish society and by cooperating with social networks, social organizations and potential employers, and thus creating valuable contacts for immigrants, the integration on the labor market seems to become more successful. In Värnamo the introduction process of newly arrived immigrants has ben more individualized and there has been a greater focus on the broadening of the immigrants social networks. Another possible causal variable for the success in Värnamo might be the structure of the labor market. And even though it cannot by itself explain the whole difference in achieved integration on the labour market, it is likely to say that the structure of the labour market has been a factor that the municipality of Värnamo has taken advantage of.