A large number of Bosnian-Herzegovinians live in Sweden, and they are well integrated in Swedish society. Many of them have built remarkable careers as a result of their dedication and hard work, and one of them is Jasenko Selimović, a Swedish government official.
He arrived to the country in 1993, where he worked as a theatre director, and then as head of the Goteborg theatre. He then entered politics and became a member of the Liberal Party of Sweden, and in 2010 he was named as the state secretary for integration and operation of the Swedish government.
A large number of BiH citizens came to Sweden during the war, somewhere around 120.000-140.000. They settled here well and became one of the most integrated communities, considering the fact that they came here recently’’, said Selimović to Fena.
Selimović said that Bosnian-Herzegovinians who came to Sweden during the war have a higher rate of employment than a Swede who was born in this county, and children of BIH citizens are enrolled at universities at a higher rate than Swedish youth.
“This integration of BiH citizens should be pointed out, because Sweden has a very complicated and challenging job market for people who come from other countries, and demand a high level of education before people obtain a job’’, said Selimović.
He said that the reason for the success of BiH citizens in Sweden is largely attributed to their education. When they came to Sweden, they had the required education level, and in some cases higher than is requested in Sweden.
“The entire explanation of the Swedish success of BiH refugees can be summed up in one word-education. This enabled them to enter the job market in a short period of time after learning the Swedish language’’, said Selimović.
He said that there are a lot of Bosnian-Herzegovinians in Sweden who have achieved excellent results.
When it comes to BiH, he thinks that the priority is for BiH to solve its internal disputes and problems and to enable the path to the EU. He said that this is one of the most important things that the Liberal Party of Sweden is also promoting.
He said that in today’s global world, education is becoming more important for individuals and for the country.
“In the global world, we are competing not only with our neighbors, but also with people who come from other parts of the world. I see the motivation of immigrants who come to Sweden from Asia and South America. Europe, Sweden and BiH should not be left in last place and not enter the race. We have to realize that this is a global competition and that only with education can we achieve what is expected of us so that we could ensure our children a better future’’, concludes Selimović.
