Almega, the employer and trade organisation for the Swedish services sector, has announced that recruitment companies in Sweden have signed a new collective agreement with academic associations that would make it easier for graduates to enter the labour market.

The new agreement between recruitment companies and the academic associations runs for three years.

“It is in the interest of both parties to facilitate new graduates to quickly get to work,” Ann-Kari Edenius Director of the Association of Staffing Agencies, said. “It supports the company with skilled workers while helping individuals to quickly come into their own in the labour market.

“The staffing industry is already doing much to get new graduates in the labour market,” Lars Garnefält, sector manager for Graduates unions, said. “We and the recruitment companies have developed a framework to further assist the new graduates to find work in their professional field. We will also assess the rules for the graduates and, if necessary, propose further regulatory changes to help them to quickly get to work.”

The temporary employment period would be a maximum of 24 months. The graduates are required to have the equivalent of 180 credits from studies in other countries and/or in Sweden.