Living and Working IN SWEDEN Thomas Engel EURES

Living and Working IN SWEDEN Thomas Engel EURES Adviser Jönköping, Sweden thomas. engel@arbetsformedlingen. se

Facts about Sweden • Sweden is the third largest country in EU • 9. 3 million inhabitants, only 20 people/km 2 • 85% live in the South • Currency: Swedish Crown 100 SEK =10, 91 Euro (October 2011)

45 Stockholm Göteborg Malmö 1574 km Umeå 0. 0 00 km 2 Kiruna

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

Language skills • Most jobs require fluent Swedish. • Some highly skilled jobs require only English. • Few jobs for low skilled workers with no Swedish.

Labour Market Statistics • Unemployment rate 7, 3 % • Youth unemployment rate 23% (August 2011)

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

Working in Sweden • 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.

Finding a job • Public Employment Services www. arbetsformedlingen. se Many links to other major job websites. • EURES http: //ec. europa. eu/eures • Swedish newspapers www. onlinenewspapers. com/sweden. htm

Applying for a job in Sweden • Applying via e-mail is common. • Applications should be typewritten in Swedish or English. • An application consists of: ü Cover letter (1 page) ü CV (1 -2 pages)

Recognition of foreign diplomas Regulated professions – NARIC The Swedish National Agency for Higher Education www. hsv. se

Income Tax • 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)

Unemployment insurance • 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

Housing • Rent an apartment or house (cooker, fridge and freezer included) • 1 bedroom apartment, average rent 4, 595 SEK/month, 68 m 2 (heat included) • Buy into a housing co-op • Buy a house Accommodation costs vary greatly

Swedish work place culture • Flat organisations • Team work and consensus • ”Du” – first name basis – informality! • Gender equality • Strong trade unions

Sweden and Swedes • Coffee and coffee breaks • Shoes off indoors (in people’s homes) • Tend to avoid conflict • Light summer nights and dark winters

Tack! Thank you! Thomas Engel thomas. engel@arbetsformedlingen. se Brochure: Living and Working in Sweden www. arbetsformedlingen. se under Other languages