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The answers to 10 of your questions about the Swedish job market right now

Is it possible to find a job if you don't speak Swedish, and which job sectors are expected to take the longest to recover after the pandemic? The Local puts readers' questions to the experts.

Published: 13 October 2020 12:07 CEST
Updated: 2 November 2020 07:25 CET
The answers to 10 of your questions about the Swedish job market right now
What are the most important qualities Swedish recruiters look for? Photo: Stina Stjernkvist/TT

The Local asked readers to send us their questions about working in Sweden and we put them to Fredrik Mörtberg, analyst at the Swedish Employment Agency (Arbetsförmedligen). Here are his answers.

The first three questions are from our journalist, the rest are from readers.

What jobs were in demand before the pandemic and which ones have been less affected?

Before the pandemic most job vacancies (in numbers) were in customer service staff, assistant nurses, nurses, cashiers and personal assistants. This is based on the number of vacancies at our employment website between January and March this year.

The jobs that have been less affected are nurses and assistant nurses, due to the high demand for staff in the healthcare sector.

Which job sectors have taken the biggest hit as a result of the coronavirus? Which ones are likely to take longer to recover?

These are examples but some of the jobs that have taken a big hit are cashiers, waiters, customer service staff, shop assistants, chefs and also restaurant and kitchen assistants. Shop assistants and cashiers are likely to take longer to recover. The jobs in restaurants may also have a longer way back if the restrictions will last for a very long time.  

Could you give us a general overview of the Swedish job market as a result of the pandemic? Any trends or forecasts?

The situation on the Swedish job market is strained at the moment. Redundancies from March to September are at an all-time high and the number of unemployed has increased rapidly. Unemployment will increase further until 2021 but the uncertainty is great. 


The restaurant industry has taken a big hit during the pandemic. Photo: Anders Wiklund/TT

Do employers consider hiring people over the age of 55 in Sweden?

A difficult question to answer. It depends on a number of different factors, for example the jobs you are applying for and your level of education.

Do Swedish companies prefer to offer full-time positions or short-term contracts or private contractors?

Both. It depends on what kind of job and in which sector. Entry-level jobs are more likely to have part-time contracts.

Is it possible to find a job if you don't speak Swedish?

If you wish to live and work in Sweden, learning the language is very important. You will find it difficult to get a job without at least basic knowledge of Swedish; most jobs require fluency.

There are some exceptions such as in higher technical professions or other sectors where highly skilled competence is required. Then, English is often the working language. 


English may be more common in the tech industry in Sweden. Photo: Henrik Montgomery/TT

Do I need a personnummer to get a job?

If you are moving to Sweden for one year or more, you should normally be registered in the Swedish Population Register (administrated by the Swedish Tax Agency, Skatteverket), and thereby receive a Swedish personal identity number. It is however possible to have the right to reside in Sweden, without a personal identity number.

You do not need a personal identity number in order to seek employment in Sweden. You can register on the Swedish Public Employment Service website and through them look for job opportunities. The Employment Service can assist in providing you with a coordination number from the Swedish Tax Agency.

What are the most important qualities Swedish recruiters look for overall?

The most important thing is to have completed a high school education. If not, you will have a much tougher situation when applying for a job.

Where can someone who isn't in Sweden apply for jobs in the country before moving there?

You can start your job search on Arbetsförmedlingen, which is Sweden's largest and most visited employment website. In addition to job ads, we also offer useful advice and tools to help you find work.

What are the requirements for refugees to be able to work?

This question is difficult to answer but I can refer you to the Swedish Migration Agency.

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READER INSIGHTS

How to find a job in Sweden: Five tips from those who’ve been there, done that

The Swedish job market poses unique challenges for newcomers. The Local's readers share their best tips for cracking the career code.

Published: 10 April 2024 11:32 CEST
Updated: 13 April 2024 15:50 CEST
How to find a job in Sweden: Five tips from those who've been there, done that

Network, network, network!

A statistic that often gets tossed around is that seven out of ten jobs in Sweden are obtained through personal connections, and there’s no doubt that a good network is crucial to your job hunt, making the labour market extra challenging for newcomers to the country.

In fact, networking was the main tip mentioned by The Local’s readers.

“The job market is quite hot in Sweden, and talent is in short supply. People hiring do not have a lot of time to find the right talent, and tips from friends, colleagues and former colleagues are the way to first, find out organisations are hiring, and secondly, get your CV on the short list,” said Kyle, a Canadian reader who works in innovation management in Gothenburg.

“If you are going for a major employer like Volvo, network gets you in the door, as HR does not have much to do with hiring… the hiring managers do all of it and have no time, due to the insane number of consensus meetings. If you are looking for smaller organisations, they have even less time to find people, and networking is their primary way to find talent,” he added.

NETWORKING IN SWEDEN:

Some of the networking tips readers mentioned were going to job fairs, getting an internship to help you establish connections in your preferred field, joining clubs (this could be anything from your local gardening association to meetups for coders, but focus on clubs that may be popular among people working in your chosen field), and drawing on your organic network of friends, neighbours and others.

Don’t neglect the groundwork

The saying “dress for the job you want, not the job you have” is getting worn out (and people may look at you funny if you turn up to interviews in a Batman suit), but there’s truth to the notion of making sure you know what you want – and preparing for it.

In other words, don’t wait for a job ad to appear before you start to customise your CV and figure out what skill set you need. Create your CV now so that you’re ready to tweak it to your dream job – you could even have a general look at job ads in your field to see what requirements are needed. And don’t forget to spruce up your LinkedIn profile so that it fits with your career goals.

“I believe that several factors contribute to successfully landing a desirable job in Sweden. It’s essential to prepare to meet the requirements beyond just having a university degree. Many individuals realise these requirements only after completing their studies when they start searching for a job, which can be too late,” said Adnan Aslam from Pakistan, who works as a food inspector.

“I recommend identifying the job advertisements for positions you aspire to hold in the future and then preparing for those requirements during your studies. For me, acquiring a basic level of proficiency in the Swedish language and obtaining a Swedish driving licence were crucial. I pursued these goals during my studies and was able to secure a desirable job before graduating,” he added.

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Felipe Cabral even has a GPT assistant trained on his own CVs and old cover letters, and said the set-up only takes ten minutes if you already have your documents. “With that in place, you can give instructions like: Read this job description and create a tailored version of my CV and letter for it. (…) Remember to always review and ask it not to create data aside from your documents.”

Be flexible and ready to adapt

Moving to a new place inevitably means having to learn not just the practicalities such as how to write a CV or which websites to use to look for job openings, but also learning how to navigate a new culture with all its unspoken expectations.

Swedish workplaces are generally less hierarchical than many other countries, but that doesn’t mean you can say whatever you want whenever you want without anyone raising an eyebrow. Swedes are usually direct, but be careful of being too abrasive or boastful: raising your voice, even during a spirited argument, or banging your own drum to show off your skills may not go down well.

“Talk, deliberate, complain like a Swede and you’ll come across like you know what the job entails, so your trustworthiness increases,” said an Indian data analyst who preferred to remain anonymous.

“Office politics are just as strong in Sweden as anywhere else. The flat hierarchy is deceiving as social hierarchy is enforced quite a bit in that lack of formal hierarchy. Take your time in learning these dynamics wherever you work before revealing your talent and capabilities. Expect those internal politics to happen, and they won’t hurt so much when they do,” said Kyle, the Canadian reader in Gothenburg.

This article about Swedish office politics may be useful.

Stay true to yourself

Adapting to your surroundings is one thing. Completely changing who you are is another.

For one thing, your happiness is as important as your career progression, and for another, your foreignness need not be an impediment: it’s also a skill that sets you apart from the rest. It means you have unique experience, and also, in the right setting, provides an opportunity to sometimes violate those social rules we mentioned above, because people assume you will, anyway.

“Trust is key. Build trust in your network, work with integrity. It’s OK to violate jantelagen if you are maintaining integrity. Sometimes your outsider and more honest/open opinion will burn bridges, especially those that may feel threatened by talent. But it will build trust with other colleagues who see it as brave and more trustworthy to work with,” said Kyle from Canada.

Hunker down for the long haul

We don’t want to scare you, because there are plenty of examples of people who quickly find their dream job in Sweden and settle into their new workplace, enjoying perks such as long summer holidays, generous parental leave and the famous work-life balance.

But if you do find it tougher than you expected: know that you’re not alone.

Several readers who responded to the survey said they were still trying to find a job in Sweden.

“I found jobs all over Europe but not here. They say they have a lack of experienced senior engineers but the don’t seem to be doing much to solve this,” said a Brazilian in Gothenburg.

A reader from Bangladesh said she was “at a loss” as to how to make a career change from her current AI role in Stockholm, despite many years of experience as an IT project manager.

“Over the past 18 months, I’ve submitted over 600 applications to various organisations. Unfortunately, despite being overqualified for some positions, I’ve faced rejections at every turn, from both large and small companies. The job market here, especially for foreign-born women, feels overwhelmingly challenging,” she said, adding that the struggle had impacted her mental health.

The Local has on several occasions reported on foreign residents’ struggle to get a foot on the Swedish job ladder, with many facing hurdles such as employers’ unfamiliarity with international degrees, discrimination, or a lack of network that can provide paths into a company.

So during the job hunt, don’t forget to care for yourself. Share your concerns with fellow job-seekers, ask for help and join networking groups – this is good not just for creating new contacts, but also in terms of your social well-being and meeting people who are in a similar situation.

And finally, as one British reader in Stockholm advised, keep looking: “Be open-minded with the opportunities that present themselves. It isn’t an easy market to enter and doesn’t feel inclusive.” But he added, “don’t give up”.

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