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WORKING IN SWEDEN

Over 35,000 summer jobs still available in Sweden

Students and other people looking for summer jobs in Sweden shouldn't give up just yet - there are over 35,000 positions still to be filled, according to the Public Employment Service.

Published: 16 May 2023 15:14 CEST
Over 35,000 summer jobs still available in Sweden
Jobseekers at the Public Employment Service in Malmö. Photo: Johan Nilsson/TT

“The labour market is so far showing resilience in the economic climate and employers need to hire new people,” said Alva Johansson, labour market analyst at the Public Employment Service.

“Staff is above all needed in the healthcare sector, but also in industry and trade.”

The majority of employers want applicants to have completed upper high school – an equivalent of a Swedish gymnasieskola education.

“My best tips now is to take contact directly with employers who interest you. Tell them you’re interested in working there and what you can offer,” said Omid Rahmanian, job application expert at the Public Employment Service.

Although many foreigners in Sweden need a work permit to work in the country, EU citizens and non-EU citizens here on other permits, such as student permits or permits as accompanying family members, are able to work without needing to apply for a work permit first.

For these groups, a summer job can be a valuable way to gain work experience in Sweden, create a professional network and perhaps even land a permanent job.

Other tips for applying for summer jobs listed by the Public Employment Service include contacting employers directly to let them know how you can be of use to them and why you’re interested in working for them, as well as concrete examples for what you could help them with in a summer job.

They might, for instance, have a lot of customers who speak English, or another language you’re fluent in, where not being Swedish could be an asset. 

It’s also a good idea to research the place you’re applying to, so you can make a good impression in your first contact.

Summer jobs can also be a good way to try something new – maybe you have qualifications from your home country which aren’t recognised in Sweden, or maybe you just fancy a change?

Here are the most common job titles among 125,000 summer jobs advertised by the Public Employment Service between December 2022 and April this year:

  • assistant nurses in home care, care homes and rehabilitation: 27,124 jobs
  • healthcare assistant: 13,489 jobs
  • mechanic: 6720 jobs
  • carer, home carer: 5922 jobs
  • retail worker, specialist trade: 4599 jobs

You can see the Public Employment Service’s list of summer jobs here.

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WORKING IN SWEDEN

Who will be fast-tracked for a Swedish work permit from next year?

A new work permit system expected to come into force in 2024 will cut waiting times for some professions to just 30 days. Who will this include, and how long will you have to wait if you're applying for a job in a different industry?

Published: 6 September 2023 14:50 CEST
Updated: 9 September 2023 07:29 CEST
Who will be fast-tracked for a Swedish work permit from next year?

How is this new model different?

According to the agency, the new model which it has now presented to the government, will focus more specifically on offering a better service, simplifying the application process, and slashing waiting times – which can be as high as 14 months for non-certified employers – to just 30 days for highly-qualified applicants, if applications are complete when submitted.

“A 30-day processing time fits well with international comparisons of how long similar permit processes take,” the Migration Agency regional director for the southern region, Fredrik Bengtsson, wrote in a statement.

“We’re expecting to be ready to launch the full model at the beginning of next year.”

How will they cut processing times?

The agency will cut processing times drastically by dividing work permit applications into four categories, ranked from A-D, of which only the first, Category A, will be handled by the new international recruitment units and encompassed by the 30-day target.

Category A applications will be those already classified as “highly qualified” under the Standard for Swedish Classification of Occupations (SSYK), and will include leadership roles, roles requiring higher university education, and roles requiring university education or equivalent. In total, this covers 238 separate roles in the SSYK system.

What about the other categories?

For jobs in other categories, the agency has pledged to process applications within four months – this also includes incomplete applications – with shorter processing times for some roles in category B.

Category B roles include seasonal work such as berry pickers (with a processing time goal of 90 days or less), country transfers within multinational companies (90 days), permits concerning holders of the EU Blue Card (90 days), researchers (two months), athletes/coaches (10 days), au pairs (90 days), and other roles such as trainees, youth exchanges, and volunteers.

This category will also include people seeking a work permit to come to Sweden to start their own business, and (if it is not phased out beforehand) applications under the so-called spårbyte, or “track change system”, which allows people who have originally applied for asylum to apply for a work permit from within Sweden.

Category D roles – which the agency expects to conclude within four months – will include work permit applications within industries that the Migration Agency sees as at a higher risk of abuse and so requiring more in-depth monitoring and investigation. These include cleaning, construction, and the hotel and restaurant industry.

The final category, category C, will cover all other applications, so those which are neither for high qualified labour, nor in a high-risk industry, nor covered by special rules.

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