On 5 February 1998, the government decided to assign a working group consisting of representatives from the Swedish government offices and the social partners to present a proposal for a joint contribution towards increasing the development of skills in professional life, which could be supported by the government. The working group presented their proposal in an interim report on 22 April 1998; another report was submitted on 26 June 1998.
The working group suggests that the government, employers' associations and trade union organisations reach a tripartite agreement committing the government to the stimulation of skills development. This stimulation will aim to bring about a qualitative and quantitative increase in operationally focused skills development for employees.
The working group's suggestion is that government stimulation should be in the form of a reduction of the employers' general payroll tax and tax payment for the duration that the employee participates in skills training measures that have been agreed on locally between the employer and the trade union organisations. The suggestion also contains a ceiling expressed as a percentage of the employee's total salary.
The application procedures to the authority responsible for the administration of the proposed government stimulation fund shall be as simple as possible, and not lead to new, burdensome administrative requirements on companies and administrations.
The working group stresses that the forms and content of the skills development must be adapted to the conditions of each individual company. A prerequisite of the payment of the government stimulation fund is that a local agreement on skills development has been reached between the parties to collective wage agreements.
The working group did not for now present any proposal for financing, but it is in full agreement that responsible financing is an unconditional prerequisite for implementation of a stimulation fund.
Once the introduction, volume and method of financing have been proposed, using this report as a basis, the working group considers all conditions to be present for a tripartite agreement between the government and the social partners with regard to the development of skills in working life. The area of skills development demands close cooperation between employer and employee, and can be developed and improved with assistance from the government.
The working group suggests that discussions regarding closely related issues proceed in an appropriate fashion. This includes the right of reservation for a company for skills development and individually focused interventions such as a "training account".
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