‘New Swedes’ left out as economy powers through pandemic – Reuters

‘New Swedes’ left out as economy powers through pandemic – Reuters

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Sweden has powered through the COVID-19 crisis with an economy set to regain its pre-pandemic size by late-2021, but a surge in unemployment among its foreign-born citizens risks exacerbating social divisions for years to come.FILE PHOTO: A view of the job center in Stockholm, Sweden March 12, 2021. REUTERS/Simon JohnsonStockholm's rejection of lockdowns left the country an outlier in Europe. The decision came at the cost of higher infection rates than its Nordic neighbours but has helped spare the local economy. Europe as a whole will not see output return to pre-pandemic levels until 2022.The headline numbers however, hide wide differences in the experience of Swedes in negotiating the coronavirus.Bakir Ajlan ran a taxi firm in the southern city of Malmo until mid-2020, when the pandemic forced him to shut up shop and lay off 15 drivers, mostly foreign-born Swedes like himself.“There were lots of customers,” he said. “But now there aren't any after 9 or 10 in the evening. There's nothing to do.”Ajlan came to Sweden as a 17-year-old from Baghdad in 1993. Despite graduating with a degree in Middle Eastern Studies from Lund University - one of the country's best schools - he only found