Sweden holds first civics test for citizenship applicants

Sweden held its first citizenship test on civic knowledge on Saturday. About 1,000 applicants took the exam at Stockholmsmässan in Älvsjö. New rules require applicants to prove Swedish language and society skills. Passing score details will be released later this autumn. Anyone who failed this first test will get another attempt.

A new study from Stockholm University shows hiring bias in Sweden. Male job seekers with foreign names face stronger discrimination than women. Researchers sent over 7,000 fake applications to jobs on Platsbanken. Foreign names mattered most for teachers and IT technicians. For cleaning and driving jobs, names made no difference. The bias is strongest when employers first review applications.

Sweden is also sending out voting cards for the September 13th election. Voters with digital mailboxes will receive their cards online first. In Malmö, officials warned against swimming due to toxic algal blooms. SMHI issued a yellow flood warning for parts of northern Sweden. This round-up of Swedish news was reported by The Local.