Sweden's Employment Agency scales smarter, faster
How Pega Blueprint cut development time from months to weeks.
faster development cycles with Pega Blueprint
of all cases running through Pega Platform
3M
cases managed annually
The Business Issue
Arbetsförmedlingen, the Swedish Public Employment Service, is the third-largest government agency in Sweden. It plays a critical role in keeping the labor market moving – helping job seekers find work and employers find the right talent. But as the labor landscape shifts, fraud risks rise, and regulations tighten, that job has become more complex than ever.
In 2019, a government reform reduced the agency’s caseworker headcount and introduced external partners. Then came the pandemic, which sent customer volumes soaring while local offices shuttered. Their mission didn’t change. But everything else did.
Suddenly, “business as usual” wasn’t just outdated. It was impossible.
Arbetsförmedlingen needed to move fast. Not just to digitize, but to rethink how they serve the public, increase efficiency, and shift toward self-service options. That meant simplifying processes, automating routine tasks, and empowering caseworkers to focus on what mattered most: helping people.
The Solution
The first wave: Building a smarter foundation
To meet the moment, Arbetsförmedlingen chose the Pega Platform™. With partner Capgemini, they launched a best-of-breed architecture powered by adaptive case management, process automation, robotics, and business rules.
They started lean – a minimum viable product – and scaled fast. Nine business process applications went live. Within a week, 10% of constituents were eligible for self-service. That may sound modest, but it was a major leap forward: it meant 10% of cases no longer needed manual handling, 10% of people got help faster, and there was 10% less pressure on caseworkers who could now focus on more complex needs. In addition, caseworkers saved 1,500 meetings. And 50% of all cases were now running through Pega.
The agency was able to rethink how work gets done. Automated checks validated data across systems. Simpler cases flowed through self-service. And caseworkers shifted from generalists to specialists, focusing on complex needs while queues shrank.
It was a breakthrough. But it wasn’t the finish line.
The next chapter: Unifying experience, accelerating change
By 2024, Arbetsförmedlingen had a new challenge: scale smarter. With 13 core applications built over time, the user experience had become fragmented.
To meet the moment, Arbetsförmedlingen chose the Pega Platform™. With partner Capgemini, they launched a best-of-breed architecture powered by adaptive case management, process automation, robotics, and business rules.
They started lean – a minimum viable product – and scaled fast. Nine business process applications went live. Within a week, 10% of constituents were eligible for self-service. That may sound modest, but it was a major leap forward: it meant 10% of cases no longer needed manual handling, 10% of people got help faster, and there was 10% less pressure on caseworkers who could now focus on more complex needs. In addition, caseworkers saved 1,500 meetings. And 50% of all cases were now running through Pega.
The agency was able to rethink how work gets done. Automated checks validated data across systems. Simpler cases flowed through self-service. And caseworkers shifted from generalists to specialists, focusing on complex needs while queues shrank.
It was a breakthrough. But it wasn’t the finish line.
The next chapter: Unifying experience, accelerating change
By 2024, Arbetsförmedlingen had a new challenge: scale smarter. With 13 core applications built over time, the user experience had become fragmented.
The Results
- Speed to value: A major release that would’ve taken six months was delivered in five weeks.
- Unified experience: All apps now share a consistent, WCAG-compliant interface. Caseworkers spend less time navigating and more time helping.
- Smarter design: Blueprint enabled early visualization and business sign-off, cutting down on rework and boosting engagement.
- Performance gains: Faster page loads and reduced customization led to happier users and lower maintenance costs.
- Scalable architecture: The hybrid model allowed Arbetsförmedlingen to build new apps without disrupting existing ones – a future-proof foundation for growth.
How they did it: Lessons from the front lines
Arbetsförmedlingen’s Center of Excellence led the charge, running hackathons, workshops, and tailored training through Pega Academy. Weekly war rooms kept teams aligned. Role-based change management helped business analysts and system architects adapt to their new roles in App Studio.
When a misaligned data model threatened a release, the team rebuilt the process and portal in just five weeks. That experience underscored the importance of starting with the right team, investing in training, and embracing change.
What’s next: Building for change
Arbetsförmedlingen isn’t slowing down. They’re planning new apps focused on fraud investigations and education programs. They’re moving to a containerized infrastructure with Kubernetes to enable faster upgrades. And they’re refining how teams work together – from business analysts to team managers – to start building for change, not just for today.
Because transformation isn’t a one-time event. It’s a continuous journey. And with Pega, Arbetsförmedlingen isn’t just keeping up – they’re leading the way.
Want to dive deeper into Arbetsförmedlingen’s journey? Watch their PegaWorld session now.
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