A Swedish workplace has its own grammar. Titles matter little, first names are used with the managing director, the working day often includes a coffee break written into the calendar, and nobody sets your pay by statute. The rules are in the law, in a collective agreement, and in the contract you sign, and a good newcomer reads all three.
How does working in Sweden differ from other European labour markets?
There is no statutory minimum wage in Sweden. Pay is set by collective agreements (kollektivavtal) between unions and employers, which cover around 88 per cent of employees, according to the Mediation Office (Medlingsinstitutet). So the question to ask an employer is not "what is the minimum?" but "which collective agreement do you follow and what does it say for my role?". An employer without an agreement can offer less. Unions (fackförbund) advise members on pay.
The law sets a floor on other matters: at least 25 days of paid holiday a year, and a normal week of 40 hours. A collective agreement may depart from the law within EU limits, which is why you read it with your contract.
Where do you look for a job?
The Employment Service (Arbetsförmedlingen) runs Platsbanken, the job-ad site (in Swedish), and has a section for EU, EEA and Swiss citizens. The EURES portal lists jobs across Europe. EU citizens do not need a work permit.
Check whether your profession is regulated: health, teaching, electricians, estate agents, lawyers, accountants, taxi drivers and others. You then need authorisation from the competent authority; the Swedish Council for Higher Education (UHR) keeps the list. For a non-regulated profession, UHR can assess your foreign diploma, free of charge, so that you can show it to employers.
For health professionals (doctors, dentists, pharmacists, nurses, midwives), you request a legitimation from the National Board of Health and Welfare (Socialstyrelsen). Recognition is in principle automatic for these five EU-harmonised professions, but you must prove enough Swedish, Danish or Norwegian, at level C1. The application costs 990 SEK, and the Board aims to start within four weeks and to decide within three to four months of a complete file.
Moovy can check whether your profession is regulated in Sweden, list the documents for recognition and help you draft your cover letter, or an email to a union or an employer in Swedish, with an English version you can read first.
What should your contract say?
The employer must give you your terms in writing, for most points at the latest on the seventh calendar day after you start (LAS section 6 c). Check the form of the contract, the gross salary, the notice, the holiday and which collective agreement applies.
Types of contract. The normal one is permanent (tillsvidareanställning). A probationary period (provanställning) lasts up to six months; if it is not ended by its term, it becomes permanent. Temporary contracts are limited: the särskild visstidsanställning (fixed-term with no reason needed, which replaced the old general one in October 2022), cover for someone (vikariat) and seasonal work. A special fixed-term contract becomes permanent after 12 months over five years; cover becomes permanent after two years over five.
Dismissal. An employer needs objective grounds: lack of work or reasons linked to you (LAS section 7). Notice is one month at least for both sides; the employer's notice rises to two months after two years and to six months after ten.
How much holiday and working time do you get?
The law gives 25 working days of holiday a year, in a holiday year from 1 April to 31 March, at least four weeks in a row between June and August unless agreed otherwise. If you start after 31 August, you get five days in the first year. Holiday pay is 12 per cent of the reference-year pay, or pay kept plus 0.43 per cent of monthly pay a day. Beyond 20 days you can carry days over for up to five years.
Working time is up to 40 hours a week, with overtime limits (48 hours over four weeks or 50 hours a month, and 200 hours a year), 11 hours of daily rest, 36 hours of weekly rest and a break after five hours of work. Sick pay: your employer pays 80 per cent for the first 14 days, minus a qualifying deduction, with a doctor's certificate after seven days.
What is the a-kassa and why join early?
Unemployment insurance is not automatic. You join an a-kassa, an unemployment fund, often tied to a sector or a union, and pay a monthly fee that varies by fund. Union membership and a-kassa membership are two separate things, even if many unions offer both.
Since 1 October 2025 the benefit is based on income rather than hours. You need at least 120,000 SEK earned over the past 12 months and at least 11,000 SEK a month for at least four months. The rate is 80 per cent of your reference income if you have been a member for at least 12 months without a break, 60 per cent for six months or more, otherwise 50 per cent, for 100 to 300 days depending on your months of income. The income counted is capped at 34,000 SEK a month. There are two waiting days, and the rate falls by 10 points after 100 days, then 5 more after 200.
So join at your first job. Waiting until you are laid off leaves you at 60 or 50 per cent. If you lose your job, register at the Employment Service from the first day, then apply to your fund.
Work in another EU country can count: ask the foreign body for form U1, which is not compulsory but speeds things up. In general you claim in the country where you last worked.
What about non-EU nationals, including Brits?
EU, EEA and Swiss citizens need no work permit. Nordic citizens need none either. British citizens, since Brexit, need a work permit or a Withdrawal Agreement status. The Migration Agency states that the salary must be at least 34,470 SEK a month, which is 90 per cent of the median salary, and since 1 June 2026 the rules also require comprehensive health insurance. See moving to Sweden from the UK.
For a British health diploma, the Board treats one issued before 1 January 2021 as an EU diploma, and one issued since as non-EU, with an assessment of the training.
Which mistakes catch newcomers?
- Assuming there is no protection without a minimum wage. The collective agreement protects you.
- Confusing union and a-kassa. Only the a-kassa counts for benefit.
- Chaining temporary contracts. Count your months.
- Starting in a health profession without a legitimation.
- Forgetting that registration needs proof of work. See residence in Sweden for EU citizens.
- Staying past 69 on the assumption you are protected. LAS protection stops at the end of the month of your 69th birthday.
What is the culture of working in Sweden?
Working in Sweden is shaped by a flat structure and a habit of consensus. First names are used with everyone, including the boss, and decisions are often reached in meetings where everyone is expected to contribute. This is a common habit rather than a rule, and workplaces differ. Efficiency is valued over presence: arriving on time and leaving on time is normal, and the holiday entitlement of at least 25 days a year is meant to be used, and the law asks for at least four weeks in a row between June and August unless you agree otherwise.
The fika is part of the working day. Colleagues stop for a coffee, a sweet and a conversation, once or twice a day in many workplaces. Taking part is the easiest way to build relationships, and skipping it systematically can be read as distance. Be open about your needs, whether that is time for a child's preschool pick-up or a day for a doctor's visit, since Swedish workplaces are used to such conversations.
Practical steps help. Ask your employer which collective agreement applies and request a copy. Check the notice period, the overtime rules and the pension and insurance provisions, since many collective agreements add occupational pension and income insurance beyond the law. Ask whether the employer will pay for Swedish courses during working hours.
Finally, keep your records: the signed contract, payslips, the written terms of employment that the employer must give you within a week of starting, and any documents on sick leave. They matter for tax, for benefits and for any future discussion about holiday pay or dismissal. Holiday entitlement in Sweden is calculated by reference to the previous year's earnings, so your records are the proof.
What is a good first month when working in Sweden?
Get a contract that states the collective agreement, notify your move, request your coordination number if you must start before your personnummer, join a-kassa, and learn the rhythm of fika. Read living in Sweden for the unwritten part.