Living and Working in Sweden

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1 Living and Working in Sweden
David Cluer (Falun) Peter Holm (Stockholm) EURES Advisers Senast uppdaterad

2 Facts About Sweden Sweden is the third largest country in EU 25 and has km coastline. 9 million inhabitants, 85% live in the southern parts. Sweden has been a member of EU since 1995. Currency: Swedish Crown (SEK) 9.30 SEK = 1 € (May 2008) The region Mälardalen around Stockholm has 2.6 million inhabitants. The official site is and there you find facts, articles and short films about Sweden. The site is available in several languages.

3 Kiruna 21 Counties Umeå 20 inhabitants / km2 Stockholm
290 Municipalities The distance from north to south, is the same distance as from Malmö to Florence, Italy. Sweden is far from crowded. Statistically there are 20 inhabitants per square kilometre. And only 1 inhabitant per square kilometre in the northern Sweden. So we have a lot of space and nature. A lot of lakes, rivers, mountains and forests. The nature and climate differs a lot in the south compared to the north. Average temperatures Malmö, January -0.2°C, July +16.8°C Stockholm, January -2.8°C, July +17.2°C Kiruna, January -16.0°C, July +12.8°C Daylight Malmö, January 7 hours, July 17 hours Stockholm, January 6 hours, July 18 hours Kiruna, January 0 hours, July 24 hours Göteborg Malmö Ystad

4 Right to work in Sweden Citizens Residence right card Residence permit
Work permit Nordic - EU/EEA* X Family members (X) Swiss Non-EU, long-term resident Non-EU Nordic citizens are free to work and live in Sweden without any permits. The only thing needed is a “Internordiskt flyttbevis”. Citizens within EU/EEA need to register their right of residence within three months of arrival. Family members to a EU/EEA citizen need a residence card… Swiss citizens and non-EU citizens who have the status long term resident in a EU/EEA country, need a residence permit. Non-EU citizens need to apply for a work permit before coming to Sweden. Information is given by the Swedish embassy in the respective countries. And the information can also be found in several languages on the homepage of the Swedish Migration board, workers, self-employed, students, ”with sufficient funds” NB! No special restrictions for citizens of recent member states.

5 Language skills The Scandinavian languages are similar – Swedish, Norwegian and Danish English skills are important in many professions Language skills in labour shortages and surpluses Our official language is Swedish. There are also a few recognized minority languages: Sami (Lapp), Finnish, Meänkieli (Tornedalen Finnish), Yiddish and Romani Chib The Scandinavian languages are similar, so between Swedes, Norwegians and Danes, we can more or less understand each other when we speak our mother tounge. English is important in many professions. In surpluses it is difficult to find work even though you can speak Swedish. And in some shortages it can be okay to just speak English, but it is very much up to the employer.

6 Labour Market Statistics
80,8 % of men and 76,2 % of women aged are in employment. Good child care facilities make this possible. Unemployment rate 5,2 % (July 2008) Statistics from the Public Employment Services (July 2008) Unemployment rate 2,9 % Subsidized employment 1,7 % Labour market programmes 1,3 % Uppdaterad med statistik från juli Statistiken hämtad från Info från SCB: Oktober 2007 ändrades den officiella arbetslöshetsdefinitionen till att inkludera heltidsstuderande som söker och kan arbeta. Även åldersindelningen ändrades från år till år. I ovanstående siffra redovisas dock arbetslösheten enligt den gamla definitionen samt efter åldersindelningen år. Arbetsförmedlingens officiella statistik för samma månad visar på en arbetslöshet på 2,9 %. Den inkluderar heltidsstuderande som söker arbete och arbetskraften räknas mellan år. 1,7 % har arbete med anställningsstöd eller funktionshindrade med t ex lönebidrag. 1,3 % erhåller aktivitetsstöd Statistiken är hämtad från

7 Shortages 2008 Medical doctors
Nurses (emergency, operation, psychiatric care and geriatric) Pre-school teachers Upper secondary school teachers, vocational subjects Teachers, for students with special needs Computer specialists, programmers and systems developers Våren 2008 The shortages have been more or less the same in the past years. Important to know is that the demand varies depending on the region. A shortage in one region can be a surplus in another. Doctors, specialist nurses and pre-school teachers are professions were we can say that we have a national shortage. Bristyrkeslistan är framtagen utifrån Yrkesbarometern i Var finns jobben? (tas fram två gånger per år i samband med prognosen) samt från Bristyrkesrapporteringen, som varje månad redovisas i Vis,

8 Shortages 2008 LGV truck drivers and lorry drivers Truck mechanics
Machine engineers Construction engineers Electricians Welders Machine tool operators (NC/CNC) Chefs LGV = Large Goods Vehicle

9 Working in Sweden Temporary or Permanent contracts
6 months probationary employment Full time, 40 hours per week 25 days vacation per year (right to take 4 consecutive weeks holiday in the summer) Average wage: SEK 26,600 (men) SEK 22,000 (women) No national minimum wage. Collective agreements in most occupations ensure fair wages. The most common contract is the permanent contract. It almost always starts with a probationary employment up to six months. Full time is the normal working time, but in some professions part time is common. For example in education, health care, child and elderly care. We have a minimum of 25 days vacation days per year. During the summer we have thee right to have four weeks in a row. Public officers can get up to 35 vacation days per year. Medellön i Sverige 2006 är hämtad från Kollektivavtal - Dvs med undantag av en del högre tjänster – chefer, konsulter, IT mfl Dachdecker , CNC-operatör , LKW/PKW-Mechaniker: , Svetsare: , VVS-installatör: , Elektriker: , Fächärzte: , Sjuksköterska: , Maskin- och byggnadsingenjör: , Förskollärare: , Bagare/Konditor:

10 Finding a Job Public Employment Services Platsbanken and
Söka jobb / Länkar EURES Swedish newspapers Adecco Lernia Manpower Proffice Company websites On the Public Employment Services website you can search for jobs in our vacancy database, Platsbanken. Most jobs are in Swedish, but in the free text field you can search for vacancies. Write the English job title for example. On our website you also find a list of links to recruitment agencies and other jobsites. Click on Söka jobb and Länkar. Finding a job in Sweden requires an active approach. Only a small part of all vacancies are posted in a vacancy database. Search for companies and check out their website, because a lot of vacancies are published there. Swedish newspapers advertise vacancies. All Swedish newspapers are found on the link above. Use your personal network. Difficult for a non-Swede…

11 Other ways to a job Open application www.gulasidorna.se
CV database (Swedish) Tips! På arbetsformedlingen.se under Söka jobb och Länkar finns fler tips på jobblänkar

12 Applying for Work in Sweden
is frequently used and accepted. Applications should be typewritten in Swedish or English. Generally you do not enclose a photo. An application consists of: - personal letter (no more than 1 page, often less) - your CV (1-2 pages) - References (can also be given at the interview) You may be asked to present evidence of professional qualifications and diplomas later on. Recognition of foreign diplomas Do not send copies of qualifications and diplomas, if it is not expressed in the vacancy. Bring them with you to the interview. The experiences and trainings are presented in a reverse chronological order, starting with the most recent.

13 Food Costs (€) Sweden Holland France Germany Norway 4,72 5,09 6,60
1 kg butter 4,72 5,09 6,60 5,13 7,37 1 l milk 0,77 0,79 1,03 0,95 1,49 1 kg cheese 8,27 8,40 12,23 9,85 10,82 1 kg chicken 3,22 4,27 3,58 4,96 7,65 1 kg roast beef 13,87 17,80 16,71 29,74 22,13 1 kg bread 2,35 1,48 4,36 1,78 3,05 1 kg potatoes 1,32 0,66 1,29 0,99 1,11 1 kg apples 2,47 1,38 2,38 2,48 3,08 1 kg coffee 5,15 5,53 6,27 8,53 9,35 Uppgifter från Göteborgsposten , uppgifterna gäller för 2007. Euro är beräknad på 9,30, dvs valutakursen i maj 2008.

14 A Typical Swedish Work Place
“Flat” organisations Team work You must be able to take initiatives and adapt to new situations. ”Du” – first name basis – informality! Gender equality Strong Trade unions Närmare 80% är medlem i ett fackförbund (SCB 2005)

15 Sweden and Swedes Fresh air, clean water, untouched wilderness, open space – “Right of Public Access” Personnummer! “Fikapaus” Shoes off indoors “Systembolaget”

16 Sweden and Swedes Tend to avoid conflicts…
Sweden “closes” for the summer Between April – September Swedes become sun worshippers Internet – VERY important in the Swedish society Vi undviker ofta konflikter och försöker så långt det går uppnå konsensus. I grupper och på arbetsplatser försöker man i det längsta att komma överens. Under sommaren stänger “allt”. Lite överdrivet men Sverige är ett litet land där alla arbetare har rätt till 4 sammanhängande semesterveckor. Det märks när man vill att myndigheter utför något – och försök bara få tag i en hantverkare då! Internet – mycket information från myndigheter mfl finns på Internet och man hänvisas ofta till hemsidor för mer information. Sverige är det hem-PC tätaste landet i Europa. Hänvisa till mer om Sverige och svenskarna på What is your opinion about Sweden and Swedes?

17 Thank You for Your Attention!
David Cluer Peter Holm Brochure: Do you want to work in Sweden? under Other languages