Swedish Government tasks Södertörn University with improving work to combat organised crime
The Swedish government has tasked Södertörn University with developing a method for following up the societal effects of work-related crime over time. The aim is to produce information that will help prioritise measures and thus take more effective action against work-related crime and organised crime. This task will be performed in cooperation with the public authorities who are already collaborating on combating work-related crime.

“A working life in which people feel unsafe or can be taken advantage of is unacceptable. Through the combined the efforts of public authorities, we aim to strengthen the Swedish labour market and counteract work-related crime. I am looking forward to reading the university’s report,” says the minister for gender equality and working life, Paulina Brandberg.
In September 2024, Södertörn University started the Sweden Against Organised Crime initiative, abbreviated as SMOB in Swedish, with the purpose of strengthening Sweden’s ability to combat the criminal economy, improving capacity for investigating economic crime and promoting cross-sector cooperation between relevant societal actors. SMOB is a partnership between nine public authorities and the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce, the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise, the Swedish Trade Union Confederation and the Swedish Confederation of Professional Employees.
“Work-related criminality causes serious societal problems and undermines trust in society. It exploits vulnerable people, distorts competition in the business sector, and public funding risks ending up in organised crime. SMOB is explicitly tasked with strengthening Sweden’s ability to combat organised crime and the criminal economy. We welcome the opportunity to undertake this vital governmental task using SMOB’s unique expertise and collaboration,” says Amir Rostami, professor of criminology and project manager for Sweden Against Organised Crime (SMOB).
The government’s assessment is that Södertörn University has the right expertise to follow up the socioeconomic effects of work-related crime.
“This is an excellent example of how Södertörn University is working actively to boost academia’s role in improving society’s capacity to meet and manage societal challenges,” says Gustav Amberg, vice-chancellor of Södertörn University.
The government assignment includes:
- designing and developing indicators and proposing supplementary qualitative measures
- collecting essential new data where necessary
- making an initial report on trends in work-related crime and proposing how and by whom the method will be managed
Södertörn University will submit an interim report by 2 June 2025 and a final report by 1 June 2026.
Page updated
20-01-2025