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Since the early 1990s, much of Sweden's health and social services sector has been opened up to private providers. In theory, competition would lead to a wider range of higher quality services and community resources would be used more efficiently, with care workers enjoying better terms and conditions.
"But the reality was different," says Annelie Nordström, President of Kommunal, "and that is the message in this new report."
The report has surveyed the employment, wages and working conditions of staff nurses and nursing assistants in various forms of elder care, using labour force surveys and structural statistics on earnings, and an extensive questionnaire to over 8000 members.
The report concludes that:
Kommunal believes that improvements can be made in elder care providing staff with the right skills and continuity in their work. They want to limit fixed-term contracts and increase the number of full-time jobs.
Report in Swedish