1. 2017 OECD Economic Survey of Sweden
Growing more equal
Stockholm, 8 February 2017
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2. The economy is growing strongly
Note: For Denmark, Germany and Sweden, OECD projections for 2016 Q4
Source: OECD Economic Outlook database

3. Unemployment is trending down
Source: OECD Economic Outlook database

4. Swedes enjoy a high quality of life
Each well-being dimension is measured by indicators from the OECD Better Life Indicator set.
Indicators are normalised to range between 0 (worst) and 10 (best).
Source: OECD Better Life Index database

5. Real housing prices continue to rise
Note: Prices are adjusted by the private consumption deflator
Source: OECD Analytical Housing Prices Database

6. Gross household debt is high
Gross debt
% of GDP
Households
Gross debt
% of GDP
Government
Note: 2015 or latest
Source: OECD Economic Outlook database

7. Inequality is fairly low, but has risen rapidly since the 1990s
Gini coefficient post taxes and transfers (2013 or latest)
Source: OECD Income Distribution and Poverty database

8. Women’s employment rate is almost as high as men’s
Source: OECD Labour Force Statistics

9. Key recommendations – Macroeconomic policies
Gradually withdraw monetary stimulus as inflation rises towards the 2% target.
Continue to pursue prudent fiscal policy, while accommodating temporary immigration-related spending to facilitate integration.

10. Key recommendations – Housing and household debt
Introduce a cap on household debt-to-income ratios.
Reform the recurrent property tax to better align tax charges with property values. Phase out the deductibility of mortgage interest rate payments.
Enhance co-operation between central and local government in land-use planning and increase incentives for municipalities to facilitate the timely release of development land. Simplify land-use planning procedures, balancing economic, environmental and social considerations.
Ease rental regulations to incentivise rental housing supply, mobility and better utilisation of the housing stock, while maintaining tenant protection against abuse.

11. Income, wealth and equal opportunities

12. The wealthy have prospered
Median disposable income within each group
Source: Statistics Sweden
Record wealth data for analytical purposes.

13. Benefits have been lagging behind
Disposable income within each group
Source: Statistics Sweden
Review annually the distributional consequences of raising social benefits, taking equity, fiscal costs and work incentives into consideration.

14. Low skills reduce employment and wages
Wages and employment by literacy skill level (2012)
1. PPP adjusted USD
Source: OECD Survey of Adult Skills (2012)
Consolidate wage subsidy schemes for the most vulnerable workers and ease the related administrative burden to increase take-up.

15. Disadvantaged immigrants need special targeting
1. The PIAAC literacy test was taken in Swedish for all groups
Source: OECD Survey of Adult Skills
Build on successful experiences at the local level to enhance the efficiency of integration.

16. High immigration poses challenges to integration
Gross migrant inflows1
1. Excluding free movement immigrants from EEA countries
Source: Swedish Migration Agency
Continue to simplify the procedures to help migrants get residence and work permits.

17. Rental regulations hinder mobility
Waiting list for rental housing in Stockholm
Source: Stockholm Housing Agency.
Ease rental regulations to incentivise rental housing supply, mobility and better utilisation of the housing stock, while maintaining tenant protection against abuse.
Consider some prioritisation of low-income households to municipal housing with allocation rules designed to limit spatial segregation.

18. Key recommendations – Income inequality and equal opportunities
Review annually the distributional consequences of uprating social benefits, taking equity, fiscal costs and work incentives into consideration.
Continue to simplify the procedures to help migrants get residence and work permits.
Rationalise by merging and harmonising various wage subsidy schemes to better target the most vulnerable workers, ease the related administrative burden and increase take-up.

19. Fighting gender inequality

20. The gender wage gap is significant
2014 or latest year available
Source: OECD Employment Database

21. Gender segregation across occupations is substantial
Share of women by main activities
Source: OECD Labour Force Statistics
Continue to develop methods to fight stereotypes in education. Address gender-specific weaknesses in education, whether faced by girls or boys.

22. Only a third of business sole-proprietors are women
Latest year available
Source: OECD Entrepreneurship database
Further promote female entrepreneurship through business promotion programmes creating a level playing field irrespective of gender, age or ethnic background. Develop data and analytical tools to evaluate these programmes.

23. Parental leave is fairly generous
% of national average earnings
Paid parental and home care leave to mothers
Source: OECD Family Database
Months
Encourage parents to split parental leave more equally by continuing to increase the share reserved for each parent.

24. Employment of foreign-born women is low compared to natives
Source: OECD Migration Statistics
Enhance active labour market policy for foreign-born women when the Introduction programme ends, to prevent them from drifting away from the labour market.

25. Key recommendations – Gender equality
Encourage parents to split parental leave more equally by continuing to increase the share reserved for each parent.
Enhance active labour market policy for foreign-born women when the Introduction programme ends, to prevent them from drifting away from the labour market.

26. For more information
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