**Centre Party Pledges to Abolish Salary Thresholds for Work Permits**
STOCKHOLM — Elisabeth Thand Ringqvist, leader of Sweden’s Centre Party, announced that a primary objective of a potential centrist government would be the immediate removal of salary thresholds for work permits.
Speaking at a press conference in Stockholm, Thand Ringqvist stated that the party intends to revert to the labor migration policy that existed prior to 2023. Under that previous system, international recruits were only required to meet the minimum salary standards established by collective bargaining agreements.
Thand Ringqvist argued that the current salary requirements, introduced by the Tidö government, have negatively impacted the Swedish economy. She cited data indicating that labor migration has more than halved between 2023 and 2025. According to the Centre Party, these policies have resulted in a 30-billion-kronor reduction in Sweden’s GDP and a 10-billion-kronor loss in tax revenue.
“When I talk to company owners, I hear the same thing over and over again: they can’t find the skilled workers they need and they don’t dare recruit internationally because they don’t know if people can stay,” Thand Ringqvist said.
The party leader also highlighted a decline in Sweden’s international standing regarding talent acquisition. She noted that during the four-year tenure of the current government, Sweden dropped from second to sixth place in the IMD World Talent Ranking, and from 11th to 21st place in rankings regarding the retention of foreign talent.
Thand Ringqvist attributed these shifts to the influence of the Sweden Democrats on national migration policy. “I see a clear reason for this: The Swedish Democrats have won a decisive role over Swedish migration policy and those policies are costing us jobs, knowledge and taxes,” she stated.
Addressing claims made by Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson—who has suggested that the reforms primarily reduced the number of low-skilled foreign workers—Thand Ringqvist countered that the number of foreign workers with university degrees has also nearly halved. She further noted that only one-third of international master’s students currently choose to remain in Sweden.
“Swedish companies who recruit competence internationally and then invest in training them don’t know if that person will be able to stay, and the people who are already here don’t know if they will still be secure here tomorrow,” Thand Ringqvist said. “A small country that needs to grow cannot afford this kind of insecurity.”
Article and image source: thelocal.se
