Supervision of unemployment insurance
The IAF exercises supervision over unemployment insurance funds and the Swedish Public Employment Service’s handling of matters that relate to unemployment insurance by checking whether they abide by legally binding rules (see the government’s written communication 2009/10:79 “En tydlig, rättssäker och effektiv tillsyn” – Clear, fair and effective supervision).
If the IAF finds that an unemployment insurance fund has infringed legally binding rules, the IAF can caution the fund for its infringement or order the fund to make amendments within a certain time period. The IAF can also decide to revoke government grants for funds that do not follow such orders or demand government grants, which have been wrongfully paid out to a fund, be paid back.
If the IAF discovers that the Swedish Public Employment Service has infringed legally binding rules, the IAF shall call this to the attention of the Swedish Public Employment Service and the government.
Following-up
The IAF has been commissioned by the government to follow any developments in the area of unemployment insurance. This takes place in that the authority monitors and examines the routines of the unemployment insurance funds and the Swedish Public Employment Service as well as compiles and analyses statistics in the area. The authority can also be commissioned by the government to investigate various issues concerning unemployment insurance.
Administration tasks
The IAF has been tasked to:
- be Sweden’s liaison body and contact organization for unemployment insurance issues within the EU
- issue certificates that give unemployed people the opportunity to apply for work in other European Union and European Economic Area countries while still receiving unemployment benefits
take in unemployment fees and financing fees from the unemployment insurance funds
- manage databases within the area of unemployment insurance
approve the unemployment insurance funds’ membership fees
- keep a register of the unemployment insurance funds
- transfer government grants to ALFA-kassan
Clarify the system of rules
The IAF has the opportunity to:
- issue legally binding rules in certain cases that describe in more detail how the unemployment insurance funds and the Swedish Public Employment Service should interpret laws and statutes
- represent the government in court in order to elicit indicative court decisions
- report to the government that laws or statutes need to be amended
Information
The IAF informs about the authority’s own activities relating to supervision, following-up, administration tasks and the clarification of the system of rules in the area of unemployment insurance.
The IAF refers to the unemployment insurance funds and the Swedish Public Employment Service for information about unemployment insurance.