Public holidays
The first public holiday of 2024 takes place on the first day of 2024, while the second is just a few days later, on January 6th. Here’s the full list of the rest of them throughout the year.
Stamps more expensive
The price of stamps has increased from January 1st. A letter weighing up to 50 grams now costs 18 kronor (or 36 kronor to send abroad), and a letter weighing up to 100 grams costs 36 kronor.
New laws coming into force
A range of new laws have come into force on January 1st, too, including extra powers for security guards, cheaper fuel and a sharp reduction in the biofuels obligation, as well as tougher punishments for gun crimes. Here’s a full list.
Changes to migration rules
Work permit holders may want to keep an eye on a new government inquiry which will release its report by January 31st. It’s expected to present suggestions for how Sweden could raise its work permit salary threshold to the median salary, and possibly also propose exceptions for certain jobs.
That’s not the only change coming in January. As The Local has previously reported, the Migration Agency is also set to roll out a new processing model for work permits at some point in January. This is meant to speed up waiting times for international talent by setting up new international recruitment units which will not only process cases but also work closely with employers on the applications to make sure they’re complete.
The agency expects to be able to 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.
Parental leave insurance turns 50
Sweden’s gender-neutral parental leave insurance celebrates 50 years. It was introduced in 1974, for the first time enabling dads to receive benefits to stay at home with their young children. In its first year of existence, men claimed on average 0.5 percent of parental benefits. That share has since increased to 30 percent.
Pension statements will start to be sent out
The pensions agency starts sending out pension statements in January, although most people won’t receive them until February or March. You don’t need to do anything in response to them – it’s just a statement to keep you up to date – but if you want to plan your pension, there are a few tricks.
Swedish astronaut heads up to ISS (probably)
Swedish astronaut Marcus Wandt is expected to blast off from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida in January, travelling by SpaceX rocket to the International Space Station (ISS). He was originally expected to set flight on January 10th, but takeoff has now been delayed with no news on the new date.
Progress on Sweden’s Nato application?
Turkey’s foreign affairs committee approved Sweden’s accession to Nato on December 26th, but there are still a few steps before the country has officially signed off on Sweden’s application.
First, it needs to be voted on by the full 600-seat parliament, where President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling alliance holds the majority. The president would then need to sign it into law.
Although Erdogan’s party could call for a special session to discuss the measure, it appears likely it will wait until after parliament’s scheduled return on January 15th.
Once Turkey has approved Sweden’s application, Hungary will be the only Nato country left to sign off before Sweden can become a fully-fledged member of the alliance. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has previously said his country won’t be the last to sign off on Sweden’s application, but this could change.
Sport and culture
In sports news, the Swedish men’s football team will head to Cyprus in January, where they will play against Estonia on January 12th, and most likely at least one other national team.
The final of the junior ice hockey World Cup will take place in Scandinavium in Gothenburg on January 5th.
Sweden’s best football players, one male and one female, will be awarded the Diamond Ball and Gold Ball awards on January 4th.
Guldbaggegalan, Sweden’s version of the Oscars, will be held at Cirkus in Stockholm on January 15th, and Idrottsgalan – the Swedish Sport Awards – will be held at Friends Arena in Solna a week later on January 22nd.
Finally, awards season will end with Swedish Radio’s P3 Guld music awards taking place at SVT in Stockholm on the 26th.
Gothenburg Film Festival will also take place in January, starting on the 26th and ending on February 4th.
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