Gymnasielagen en (o) möjlighet för de ensamkommande? : En kvalitativ studie om integration på arbetsmarknaden utifrån unga ensamkommandes perspektiv

The new high school law (NGL) came into force in 2018, to give young unaccoumpanied minors, who arrived in 2015, the opportunity to stay in Sweden. The purpose of this study was to, through thematic analysis of qualitative interviews with young unaccompanied minors who were covered by the NGL, examine their experiences of their integration in to the labor market against the beckground of the conditions for residence permits specified in the NGL. The study is based on semistructured interviews with 6 participants. It appears that all participants have received support and help in various forms and extents, including from the employer, voluntary organizations and civil society, as well as friends during the time they were studying or looking for work and striving to integrate into the labor market. The demands made by NGL had both positive and negative effects for the young unaccompanied minors: Stress, pressure, difficulty sleeping, overthinking, limitations in their freedom of choice, poorer study results and unfavorable work environments are presented as negative effects. On the other hand, motivation to study, improved mental well-being and hope for the future are identified as positive effects. Furthermore, it appears that NGL led to success and goal fulfillment in their lives as well as the obtaining of a permanent residence permit. In general, it appears that all participants experience their integration into the labor market in relation to NGL as successful, but the participants express various ambiguous and fragmented stories about how and to what extent NGL affected their spheres of life and integration into the labor market, where the job search is said to have had the greatest impact in this context.