Thomas EngelEURES Adviser

Jönköping, Swedenthomas.engel@arbetsformedlingen.se

Living and Working

IN SWEDEN

Living and Working

IN SWEDEN

• Sweden is the third largest country in EU

• 9.3 million inhabitants, only 20 people/km2

• 85% live in the South

• Currency: Swedish Crown 100 SEK =10,91 Euro

(October 2011)

Facts about Sweden

450.

000

km

2Stockholm

Malmö

Göteborg

157

4 k

m

Kiruna

Umeå

Famous Swedes

• Stieg Larsson• Zlatan Ibrahimovic• Alfred Nobel• Astrid Lindgren• Ingemar Bergman• IKEA and H&M• Volvo and Saab

• Most jobs require fluent Swedish.

• Some highly skilled jobs require only English.

• Few jobs for low skilled workers with no Swedish.

Language skills

• Unemployment rate 7,3 %

• Youth unemployment rate 23%(August 2011)

Labour Market Statistics

Shortages • physicians• upper secondary school teachers

in vocational subjects• surgical, psychiatric, radiology

and urgent care nurses • engineers: electric power• engineering officers: ships and ferries• certified pre-school teachers• metalworkers: construction

Surpluses

• daycare workers• receptionists• nursing assistants • assistents for students with

special needs • biologists • janitors • warehouse workers• shop assistants• low skilled restaurant personnel

• 6 months “trial” employment

• Full time, 40 hours per week

• 25 days vacation per year

• No national minimum wage

• Collective agreements between unions and employers.

Working in Sweden

• Public Employment Serviceswww.arbetsformedlingen.se Many links to other major job websites.

• EURES http://www.eures.europa.eu/

• Swedish newspapers www.onlinenewspapers.com/sweden.htm

Finding a job

• Applying via e-mail is common.

• Applications should be typewritten in Swedish

or English.

• An application consists of:

Cover letter (1 page)

CV (1-2 pages)

Applying for a jobin Sweden

Regulated professions – NARIC

The Swedish National Agency for Higher Educationwww.hsv.se

Recognition of foreign diplomas

• Municipal tax between 29-35 %, depending on where you live

• Most people pay only municipal tax

• State tax is paid on incomes above 383 000 SEK – 20% above 548 300 SEK – 25 %

www.skatteverket.se (2011)

Income Tax

• Is not a part of the Social Insurance scheme.

• Basic insurance: No membership requirement, max 320 SEK/day

• Voluntary insurance: For members of an unemployment insurance fund, max 680 SEK/day

• 300 days, 5 days per week. Tax will be deducted. (2011)

www.iaf.se

Unemployment insurance

• Rent an apartment or house (cooker, fridge and freezer included)

• 1 bedroom apartment, average rent4,595 SEK/month, 68 m2 (heat included)

• Buy into a housing co-op

• Buy a house

Accommodation costs vary greatly

Housing

• Flat organisations

• Team work and consensus

• ”Du” – first name basis – informality!

• Gender equality

• Strong trade unions

Swedish work place culture

• Coffee and coffee breaks

• Shoes off indoors (in people’s homes)

• Tend to avoid conflict

• Light summer nights and dark winters

Sweden and Swedes

Brochure: Living and Working in Sweden www.arbetsformedlingen.se under Other languages

Thomas Engelthomas.engel@arbetsformedlingen.se

Tack! Thank you!