Irregular migrants that make up about 25,000 to 35,000 people are engaged in precarious work, which is characterized by employment insecurity, poor working conditions and low pay (Jonsson and Nyberg 2009, 5-7). Following the 2008 economic downturn, there had been a small recovery in the Swedish economy, but as of 2012, 65,000 workers were dismissed due to redundancies (Johansson and Eriksson 2013). It is in the context of the greater economic insecurity following a wave of neoliberal policies coupled with an increase in asylum seekers and immigration, and their attendant neglect, that the riots have become likely.