The labour market in Sweden

(Arbetsmarknaden i Sverige)

Everyone who works must pay tax in Sweden. The tax is approximately 30 percent of the salary and is paid by the employer. The money that we collectively give in taxes goes to, for example, schools and healthcare.

In Sweden, everyone who works has the right to a written employment contract. In the contract, your salary, your tasks and how long the employment lasts must be mentioned.

About half of the population in Sweden has some form of employment. Most of those who do not have a job are retired or children.

Some of the most common occupations in Sweden are assistant nurse, primary school teacher and shop assistant.

The labor market is divided into private and public sector:

• Private sector are businesses with private owners that are for-profit. It could be shops or industries, for example.
• The public sector is business that is run for the residents by the state, municipality or region. These are, for example, healthcare, education and the police. Approximately one third of all employees work in the public sector.

In September 2023, over 300,000 people were registered with the Swedish public employment service (Arbetsförmedlingen) as job seekers. These are people who do not have a job but are looking for work.

Opportunities vary

(Olika möjligheter och förutsättningar)

The possibility of getting a job varies in different parts of the country. It can differ between occupations, ages, women and men and between residents born in Sweden and residents born in other countries.

There are more jobs in the big cities than in smaller towns. But in the larger cities there are also more people who both work and who are looking for the jobs that are available.

In northern Sweden major investments are made in, among other things, new technology and industry. This means that there are many jobs to look for in different areas, as the investments have effects on the entire labor market. In the north, many people need to be employed who have the right skills in, for example, technology. As many people move to that part of Sweden to find work there, people who can work in several different industries, for example in healthcare, are also needed.

Unemployment in Sweden is higher among people without a high school education. This can have several explanations. One reason is that a certain training is required for many professions in Sweden.

Women and men do not always have the same opportunities in the labor market in the country. In certain professions, more women than men work, for example in healthcare. In other professions, more men than women work, for example in industry. Occupations where more women work have, on average, lower wages than occupations where more men work. But the difference in wages between women and men is decreasing in Sweden.