Sustainable synergies: A comparative perspective on Swedish social policy to develop inclusive programmes for an extended working life

The aim of this programme is to study how the welfare system can be developed to support a sustainable working life for everyone, based on both internationally comparative research and in-depth analyses of Sweden. In focus are the working-life transitions individuals make during their life-course.

In the context of structural changes taking place and affecting labour markets (e.g. globalization, the IT revolution, climate change, migration), transitions from school to work, from family formation back to work, from one occupation to another, from ill health to work, and finally from work to retirement, have become increasingly risky and multifaceted.

Consequently, the goal of a sustainable working life – where working and living conditions support participation throughout a long working life (Socialdepartementet 2022) – can be difficult to achieve. Policies supporting such transitions have to operate in and take account of increasingly complex labour markets.

There is also a tangible danger that the goal will be reached for parts of the population, but that others will have to resort to increasingly precarious work or drop-out of the workforce altogether, with increased social inequality as a result.Conventionally, social policy analyses have focused on individual programmes or reforms.

This programme will focus on how the interplay between different social policies can support successful transitions for a sustainable working life for various groups on the labour market.

Analyses of interplays between policies can highlight synergies as well as trade-offs relating to different programmes during different phases of working life or between programs during a specific phase.

Analyses of interplays of this kind are so far limited, and the broad, comparative nature of the program, and the combination of micro and macro data, will show where there may be cracks in the system and how prepared the Swedish welfare state is to address these challenges.