Social Security in Sweden

8/8/2019 Social Security in Sweden

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INTERNATIONAL SOCIAL

SECURITY ASSOCIATION

ASSOCIATION INTERNATIONALE

DE LA SCURIT SOCIALE

ASOCIACION INTERNACIONAL

DE LA SEGURIDAD SOCIA L

INTERNATIONALE VEREINIGUNG

FR SOZIALE SICHERHEIT

27GE N ER A L A SSEM BLY

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A SA M B LEA GEN ER A L

GEN ERA LVERSAM MLUN G SocialsecurityinSw

eden


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Swedish Monograph to the 27th General Assembly of the ISSA

Stockholm 915 September 2001

Social Securityin Sweden


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Sweden in Brief

The Swedish Social Security Important years in the history of so

Objectives and Principles, 10Aims of the social security system,

Loss of income principle, 11

General and individual, 12

Financial Security for Families and ChFamily policy, 13

Parental insurance, 14

Child allowance, 16

Maintenance support, 16

Housing allowance, 17

Other family allowances and benef

Financial Security during Working LifeSickness insurance, 19

Work injury insurance, 19

Disability benefits, 21

Unemployment insurance, 21

Supplementary insurance schemes

Prevention, 24

Financial Security for Old Age, 26Old age pensions, 27

Supplementary insurance schemes

Social Insurance in Figures, 31Expenditure, 31

Financing, 33


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Sweden inGeography a long and

Sweden shares borders with Nogeography is characterised by its lotryside, dense forests, myriad lakeareas. More than half of Swedens est. Approximately inlanside. Off the long coasts on the BaSea to the west are tens of thou-sands of archipelago islands.

The total land area is km2.


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Financial Security for Fa

Family policy

The development of the Swed

have taken place in the labou

in family patterns and the rol

proportion of women in work

most children in Sweden grow

responsibility for supporting t

Swedish family policy is based

rights. The support to families

results, however, in a gradual decrease in the real level of theceiling compared to the development of real incomes, a prob-lem that is currently being discussed. If nothing is done, theincome related benefits would gradually turn into basic flat ratebenefits for more and more income earners. The Swedish

Prime Minister has recently made a commitment to increasethese levels.

General and individual The trend has shifted from means-tested benefits, with theirroots in the traditional poor relief system, to an ever-increasingemphasis on general and income-related insurance systems.

The dominant trend has seen the social insurance systemextended to cover a wider range of situations for increasinglymore people.

The public insurance system is a general one in several sens-es of the word; it covers the entire population on equal terms.

The insurance is financed largely through proportional contri-butions and taxes, and the provisions are the same for everyone.

All parents, for example, receive the same amount in childallowance irrespective of their financial situation. Equally, ahigh income earner with disabled children is entitled to the

same economic support as equivalent parents who are worseoff.

The general aspect of the income-related insurance lies alsoin the fact that people pay the same contribution as a percent-age of their income for the same insurance coverage.


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Housing allowanceThe housing allowance is designehouseholds to live in adequate andmodation. Families with children for a housing allowance (the age lstill studying). The amount payabchildren, the cost and size of thhouseholds income. Also young p

years of age without children miallowance. It is mainly single par

i hi ll A d

Child allowanceThe objective of the child allowances is to level out costs be-tween those who raise children and those who do not. Parents

receive a child allowance for each child under the age of . Ifthere are three or more children the family is entitled to a large-family supplement. The child allowance is replaced by an ex-tended allowance after the age of as long as the child con-tinues studying.

Maintenance supportIf marriages or relationshipsbreak up, the children are enti-tled to maintenance allowancefrom the parent not taking care

of the children. If that obliga-tion is not fulfilled or if the level

of the maintenance is insufficient,the social insurance office may pay

maintenance support to the parent in

d f h hild I h h

Parental cash benefit daysYear

1991 53 746 92.3 7.71992 55 594 91.4 8.61993 55 330 90.4 9.61994 54 361 89.1 10.9

1995 50 593 90.8 9.21996 42 177 89.4 10.61997 37 905 90.1 9.91998 36 327 89.6 10.41999 36 036 88.4 11.62000 35 661 87.6 12.4

Number of Drawn by Drawn bybenefit days women, per cent men, per cent

1991199219931994

199519961997199819992000


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Sickness insuranceSickness cash benefit is payable in

working capacity by at least per in full or three-quarters, half or depending on the extent of the

facilitate the return to work after afit can also be given to cover addand from work. Sickness cash betreatment or rehabilitation for preprevent or shorten an illness. Sickfor an unlimited period.

A medical certificate is requiday of absence and a more detaile

produced after the th

day of absDuring the first days of a sicployer pays the income loss comployee according to the Sick Pay Amay be paid for the first day of sicalled waiting day. Persons sufferinease or a handicap causing repeateeligible to a sickness cash benefit ting day.

From the th day of illness,come loss is transferred from tInsurance Office.The compensatisickness cash benefit is per cena ceiling.

In connection with rehabilitapayments and cash benefits, whibenefit at the same compensatio

ll h

Financial Security during Working Life

Financial security in case of sickness, work injury,

handicap and unemployment is provided partly as

payment for loss of income and partly as allowances

to certain groups of people.


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Old-age pensionsThe old pension system has two msupplementary pension. The basbasic security independently of pmentary pension scheme is base

gainful employment, where incom and is taken into account. Fsion years of gainful emploamount available will depend on t

years. The scheme is a pay-as-yocontributions paid in during one pension payments during the sam

Under the new system, all eament during an entire lifetime wision. All contributions to the schPension contributions are collectedemployer and employee will each

There were several reasons why a netem had to be implemented. The numof pensioners in relation to the econcally active population is continuallyincreasing. Today there are 30 old apensioners for every 100 economicaactive persons. In 25 years from now

Reasons for reform

Financial Security for Old-Age

By the turn of the century Sweden introduced a new national pension

system. The new system is divided into three parts: income pension,

premium pension and for those with a low income or no income

a guaranteed pension. There will be a gradual transition from the oldsystem to the new one for persons born between 1938 and 1953.

Persons born in 1954 and later are completely covered by the new

system, while those born in 1937 or earlier will remain entirely within

the old system.


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Flexible retirement ageUnder the new system, pensions can bclaimed from the age of 61. There is nupper age limit for earning pension riThe guaranteed pension, however, is ponly from the age of 65.

Income pension andpremium pension

There are two main types of pension underthe new system: the income pension andthe premium pension. The income pensioncomes under a PAYG system, while the pre-mium pension is a scheme where contribu-tions are invested in funds chosen by the

insured (the pension savers).

A person who has had a low income or noincome at all will have the deficiencymade up by a supplementary pension, theguaranteed pension.

Lifelong earnings:the basis for the pension

Under the new system, the whole of a per-sons income during the lifetime will formthe basis for calculating the pension.Pension rights can be earned from the ageof 16 and will be established on an annualbasis.

The amount paid into the new pension sys-tem is 18.5 per cent of a persons incomeup to a ceiling. Pensionable income is madeup primarily of a persons wages, but alsoincludes other taxable income such as sickpay, parental cash benefit and unemploy-ment benefit. 16 of the 18.5 per cent ispaid into the PAYG income pension scheme.

The remaining 2.5 per cent go into the

fully funded premium pensionscheme, where the pension savers

can choose between approxi-mately 500 funds to invest in.

20

15

Remaining life expectancy at the age

Basic features of the new public pension scheme


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complement the Work Environment Act, it is responsible forthe enforcement of safety and health regulations, and it con-ducts information and education programmes.

The National Institute for Working Life () isSwedens national centre for work life research, development

and training in the fields of labour market and occupationalsafety and health issues. The Swedish Council for Working Life and Social

Research () finances research and development in the fieldof health, safety and working life.

Prevent 2 works to reduce occupational accidents, improvethe work environment, and provides training and trainingmaterials.

The Development Council for the Government Sector is

the labour market parties joint council on work environmentand work life matters in the government sector.

The Work Environment Association2 is a centre for workenvironment questions that aim to promote safe working con-ditions. It publishes a safety periodical and other literature, anddistributes warning signs and posters.

1) Affiliate ISSA MemberOrganisation

2) Associate ISSA MemberOrganisation


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27GE N ER A L A SSEM BLY

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GENERALVERSAM MLUN G

www. issa . in t

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Social Security in Sweden