This week we interviewed Albin Falkmer, the Director of Governance, International and Public Affairs at Samhall.

Samhall is a Swedish state-owned company that finds jobs for people with disabilities when they are unable to look for a job in the open labour market themselves. Samhall trains them, helps them build their CVs, and provides jobs tailored to their needs. Today, more than 24,000 people with disabilities are employed by Samhall, making it Sweden’s largest company. As Albin talks about the various services of Samhall, he also shares his story of going from politics to the disability sector.

How did you get involved in the employment of people with disabilities in Sweden?

Albin: I used to be a politician. I have been involved in Swedish Labour Market policies for a long time now. I worked in the Swedish Parliament and later became the Chief of Staff for the Swedish Ministry of Employment. At some point, it was just too political for me, and I wanted to work with a company and not in government offices any more. I also wanted to contribute to society.

Then, I got in touch with Samhall, and it was the perfect match for me. It functions as a regular company but also gives people with disabilities an opportunity to enter the labour market and make a life for themselves. I simply couldn’t say no and got involved!

What do you think is a common reason why people with disabilities are not able to find a job?

Albin: The main reason is that their disability might limit their working capacity. Many employers feel ill-equipped to support them, lacking the resources or knowledge to offer the necessary accommodation at the workplace.

As a result, they take the easy way out and don't hire people with disabilities. By doing this, they miss out on the wealth of competencies and skills that many people with disabilities bring to the workplace.

In Sweden, public employment services provide a variety of measures such as wage subsidies, work environment adaptations, and assistance to employees with disabilities. If these measures are not enough, individuals are referred to Samhall, where we ensure they find employment. We are not allowed to say no to any person with a disability who comes to us, we must find them a job in the open labour market.

Have you seen the market evolve in terms of hiring people with disabilities?

Albin: We do a survey every second year in which we ask Swedish employers why they employ people with disabilities. One of the most common answers is that it aligns with their customers’ values. Swedes are increasingly choosing to support socially responsible companies, and about one-third of businesses in our last survey said they employ people with disabilities because it matters to their customers.

Additionally, I hired some researchers and economists to do further research. We did case studies of people with disabilities getting hired and how it benefits society. The return on investment is very high! Society gains far more from their employment than from them being unemployed, and now we have the data to prove it.

However, it's not that simple. There is another facet in this argument.

Sweden has one of the lowest percentages of low-skilled jobs in the EU — only 4%. This means that many people with disabilities, who may not have high-level technical skills, find it challenging to secure jobs. While companies may be willing to hire, the jobs available are shrinking. Even though the government offers wage subsidies to make it more affordable to hire people with disabilities, the disappearance of low-skill jobs makes it harder for them to enter the workforce. It's a complex issue.

How do you plan to tackle this issue?

Albin: We approached the issue of scarce jobs differently. We analysed jobs in each sector and started breaking down tasks that employees carry out. For example, in elderly care homes, nurses and doctors were doing tasks that fall outside of their medical expertise. They were preparing lunches, organising files and doing administrative work. We suggested that companies hire people with disabilities to do these extra tasks and reduce the workload of the nurses and doctors. It’s a win-win for everyone.

Another example is cleaning. Samhall employs close to 10,000 people with disabilities in the cleaning sector. There are a variety of ways we can do cleaning. Some cleaning tasks are done better by people with disabilities than those without. We map these competencies and form teams that complement each other. 

Are there some success stories that you would like to share?

Albin: Yes, but first I want to point out one big factor that encourages progression of employees with disabilities that we hire.

Each year 1500 employees with disabilities have to leave us for new jobs with other employers. This is our responsibility, and we have to hit this number each year.

Over the years, more than 250,000 people with disabilities have gone from unemployment and social exclusion to jobs in the open labour market through Samhall. We have countless success stories!

One example is from a factory where robots were working on production lines. When we replaced the robots with our employees with disabilities, the human workers out performed the machines! The robots were efficient, but when there was a glitch in the system, they couldn’t detect it. Our employees, however, were able to identify and fix issues, and their attention to detail was astounding.

I have many similar stories. It’s incredibly fulfilling to see how breaking down tasks can create job opportunities that are perfectly suited for people with disabilities. Watching these success stories unfold has been one of the most rewarding parts of my work.