Swedish communists’ autumn campaign focuses on youth concerns

Young workers and students in Sweden are facing multiple problems including joblessness, mental health issues, high rents and debt burden. Over 160.000 youth are unemployed

November 04, 2019 by Peoples Dispatch
Sweden communists
The Swedish Communist Party, during demonstrations held in Malmo last week, expressed solidarity with the popular protests taking place in Chile and Iraq. (Photo: RiktpunKt)

The Swedish Communist Party (SKP) held its autumn campaign throughout October, focusing on young workers and students in the country. The party has highlighted various problems faced by youth in Sweden, ranging from homelessness and precarious working conditions to insufficient wages and a worsening mental health crisis.

As part of the campaign, the SKP created a website, taparti.skp.se, where information and articles about the condition of young workers and students in the country was collated and analyzed. 

According to the website, about 160,000 young people in Sweden do not have a job, while those who are employed are often stuck in contractual or temporary jobs. Many students live on loans provided by the Swedish Board of Student Finance (CSN) or sustain themselves through short-term summer jobs. The higher rents in urban areas are also affecting those students who do not have access to hostel facilities. Joblessness has left nearly a quarter of the country’s youth confined at home. This has been one of the reasons behind the rising anxiety and depression faced by youth in Sweden today.

The SKP has also emphasized the fact that the situation of young workers and students in Sweden is not likely to improve in the near future. The students are facing challenges in both the labor market and the housing market.

SKP cadre also actively participated in two meetings held in Malmo, in solidarity with the Iraqi and the Chilean people’s fight for their rights. On October 26, Victor Diaz De Filippi from the SKP addressed a solidarity gathering, highlighting the recent developments in Chile. A large demonstration also took place outside the Chilean embassy in Stockholm, on October 21.