Work

A job gives you pay, but also rights. Sweden has no law on minimum wages. Pay and terms are often set in a collective agreement (kollektivavtal) between a trade union and employers. Here are the steps to start a job safely and to notice if something is wrong.

• Choose “Other” if you're, for example, an EU citizen, have permanent residence or have a permit to live with someone.
• This is a checklist, not legal advice. Your a-kassa decides whether you get unemployment benefit, and Migrationsverket (the Swedish Migration Agency) decides on your permit.
• In danger right now? Call 112.

1. Get your terms in writing

   Your employer must give you your terms in writing. You should get your pay, working hours, tasks and type of employment at the latest 7 days after you start work. Holiday, the rules for ending the job and any collective agreement should follow at the latest one month after you start.

   Read the contract carefully. Do the pay, working hours and holiday match what you were promised? If you don't understand the language, you can ask your employer or someone else to translate it.

   If something changes, such as your pay or hours, you should get it in writing at the latest on the day the change starts. Keep your contract, payslips and messages from your employer.

   Riksdagen: Employment Protection Act, section 6 c (in Swedish) Migrationsverket: avoid being scammed
2. Check that your pay meets your permit's requirements

   Your pay and other terms must be at least as good as in Swedish collective agreements, or what's usual in your occupation. By the time you start, your employer must have taken out health insurance, life insurance, industrial injuries insurance and occupational pension insurance for you.

   Since 1 June 2026 there's a new salary requirement: your pay must be at least 90 per cent of the median salary in Sweden when you apply. For applications from 16 June 2026 that's at least SEK 34,470 a month. Some occupations and groups have a lower requirement, and EU Blue Cards, ICT permits and seasonal work have their own rules.

   Did you get your permit under the old rules? If you apply to extend it on 2 December 2026 or later, you must meet the new salary requirement. You can apply at the earliest two months before your permit expires. See also the Permit timeline tool.

   Migrationsverket can check afterwards that you got the pay and insurance your permit is based on. If the conditions aren't met, your permit can be revoked.

   Migrationsverket: salary requirement Migrationsverket: requirements for a work permit
3. Check your hours, holiday and payslip
   • Ordinary working time is at most 40 hours a week. Overtime may be at most 200 hours a year.
   • You should get at least 11 hours' rest in a row every 24 hours, and 36 hours off in a row every week.
   • You shouldn't work more than 5 hours in a row without a break.
   • A collective agreement can have other rules on working time than the law.
   • If a time is in your schedule and your manager doesn't want you to work it, you should still be paid for it.
   • You have the right to 25 days' holiday a year. You earn holiday pay while you work, so in your first year some days may be unpaid.

   You have the right to a payslip every time you're paid. It should show, among other things, your pay before tax, the tax deducted and the pay you receive. Keep your payslips for six years.

   With e-identification you can see in the service Mina inkomstuppgifter, run by Skatteverket (the Swedish Tax Agency), what your employer has reported about your pay and tax. If something is missing, contact your employer. No BankID yet? See the BankID tool.

   Arbetsmiljöverket: the Working Hours Act (in Swedish) Skatteverket: see your income details (in Swedish)
4. Join a trade union If you want

   A trade union (fackförbund, often just called facket) is an association for employees. It negotiates pay and terms and signs collective agreements with employers. You have the right to be a member, and your employer may not punish you for it. Whether you join is up to you.

   As a member you can get advice, and sometimes legal help, if for example you're paid the wrong amount or must work more hours than your contract says.

   If your workplace has a collective agreement, it applies to all employees, including those who aren't union members. Nearly 9 in 10 employees are covered by one, according to Medlingsinstitutet (the Swedish National Mediation Office). Which union fits depends on your occupation or industry. Ask whether there's a union contact person at work.

   What does a safety representative do?

   The safety representative (skyddsombud) works for a good and safe work environment and represents all employees, including those who aren't union members. The union usually appoints the safety representative. If there's no union, the employees can choose one themselves.

   Medlingsinstitutet: trade unions (in Swedish) Arbetsmiljöverket: safety representatives (in Swedish)
5. Join an a-kassa early If you want

   An a-kassa (arbetslöshetskassa, an unemployment insurance fund) can pay you benefit if you lose your job. There are 24 a-kassor for different occupations and industries. You can join once you've started working. Membership costs a fee every month.

   New rules have applied since 1 October 2025. How long you've been a member decides how high your benefit can be. The highest level requires that you've been a member for at least 12 months in a row and are still a member when you apply. If you've been a member for five months or less, or not at all, you get the lowest level.

   You must also have had an income. The main rule is at least SEK 120,000 in the last 12 months, and at least SEK 11,000 a month in at least four of those months. The a-kassa gets your income details from Skatteverket. If you work off the books (svart), you get no a-kassa.

   The benefit is based on your previous pay, but at most SEK 34,000 a month counts. It's paid once a month and goes down after 100 and after 200 benefit days. Your a-kassa calculates it and decides. The rules are explained by IAF (the Swedish Unemployment Insurance Inspectorate).

   Join early: your membership time only counts from the day you join. To get benefit you must be at least 20 and registered with Arbetsförmedlingen (the Swedish Public Employment Service).

   IAF: new a-kassa rules (in Swedish) IAF: list of a-kassor Arbetsförmedlingen: unemployment benefit
6. If the job ends or you want to change If it happens

   Your permit applies to the employer and occupation stated in the decision. If you change employer or occupation, you need a new work permit in most cases. How your permit is limited is stated in the decision and on your residence permit card.

   You may start the new job once you've applied, if you apply before your old permit expires. The new employer must have advertised the job in Sweden, the EU/EEA and Switzerland.

   If the job ends, because you're dismissed or you resign, you may stay for three months after your last working day to look for a new job. This requires that your permit is still valid during that time.

   If you don't find a new job within three months, or your permit expires before then, you must leave Sweden unless you have another right to stay.

   Register with Arbetsförmedlingen on your very first day without work. When you apply for jobs, bring copies of documents showing that you may live and work in Sweden, and your residence permit card.

   If your employer hasn't followed the conditions

   Is Migrationsverket investigating whether to revoke your permit because the conditions weren't followed? If you change employer meanwhile, you have four months to apply for a new work permit with the new employer.

   If you have an EU Blue Card, you must tell Migrationsverket yourself if your job ends or the conditions change.

   Migrationsverket: changing or leaving a job Arbetsförmedlingen: unemployed, what now?
7. Know the warning signs

   These can mean that an employer is breaking the rules or exploiting you:

   • You get no written terms, or they don't match what you were promised.
   • You're asked to work for free “on trial”. You should always be paid, even when you try out a job.
   • You must pay back part of your pay, or you've had to pay for your work permit.
   • You owe the employer a debt, for example for the journey or housing, that you must work off.
   • The employer wants your passport, your bank card or your BankID.
   • You work very long days, and many of them.
   • The work is dangerous and protective equipment is missing.
   • You must live at the workplace, share a small home with many others or live in very basic conditions at a high cost.
   • You get no payslip, or your pay doesn't show up at Skatteverket.

   A company or an agent can never promise you a work permit. Migrationsverket always decides. Don't pay application fees to anyone but Migrationsverket.

   Exploiting someone for work under obviously unreasonable conditions is a crime in Sweden. It's a crime even if nobody recruited you or brought you here.

   Migrationsverket: if you're exploited at work Polisen: labour exploitation (in Swedish) Jämställdhetsmyndigheten: brochure in 12 languages (page in Swedish)
8. Get help and report
   • Urgent danger: call 112. Otherwise call Polisen (the Swedish Police) on 114 14; they speak Swedish and English. You can also send a tip online, and you can stay anonymous.
   • Dangerous work environment: first talk to your manager or the safety representative. You can also report it to Arbetsmiljöverket (the Swedish Work Environment Authority). If the tip is about your own workplace, they don't disclose it.
   • Wrong pay or problems with your contract: contact your union or other legal help. Arbetsmiljöverket doesn't answer questions about pay and contracts.
   • Your employer doesn't pay your wages, doesn't deduct tax or gives you no payslip: tell Skatteverket. You don't have to give your name.
   • Your employer doesn't follow the conditions of your permit: tell Migrationsverket. You can stay anonymous.
   • Discrimination: report it to Diskrimineringsombudsmannen, DO (the Equality Ombudsman). If you're a union member, contact your union first.
   • If you need housing or money: contact the social services (socialtjänsten) in your municipality. In the evenings and at weekends you reach the social emergency service (socialjouren) through 112.

   Act quickly on discrimination at work. The time limit for going to court can be as short as two weeks after the event.

   If you've been the victim of a crime

   The police can apply for a residence permit for a reflection period for you. It's valid for 30 days. If the case goes to court, the police can apply for a permit that's valid for six months and can be extended.

   If you haven't been paid and have no right to stay in Sweden, you can apply for a temporary permit to pursue your unpaid wages in court.

   Brottsofferjouren, a victim support organisation, gives free support on 116 006. The regional coordinators of Jämställdhetsmyndigheten (the Swedish Gender Equality Agency) can help you contact the police, social services and healthcare.

   Polisen: contacting the police Polisen: tip about labour crime (in Swedish) Arbetsmiljöverket: report risks Migrationsverket: submit a tip Skatteverket: report suspected fraud (in Swedish) DO: report discrimination Jämställdhetsmyndigheten: regional coordinators (in Swedish)

1. Get your terms in writing

   Your employer must give you your terms in writing. You should get your pay, working hours, tasks and type of employment at the latest 7 days after you start work. Holiday, the rules for ending the job and any collective agreement should follow at the latest one month after you start.

   Read the contract carefully. Do the pay, working hours and holiday match what you were promised? If you don't understand the language, you can ask your employer or someone else to translate it.

   If something changes, such as your pay or hours, you should get it in writing at the latest on the day the change starts. Keep your contract, payslips and messages from your employer.

   May I work without a work permit?

   • EU/EEA citizens may work in Sweden without a permit. Swiss citizens who will work for more than three months need a residence permit.
   • You don't need a work permit either if you have permanent residence, a permit to live with someone in Sweden, a permit based on a need for protection or under the Temporary Protection Directive, or a permit to study at a university.
   • If you've applied for asylum, new rules have applied since 1 October 2026. You may get the right to work if you haven't had a decision within six months. The information is on your application card.

   Riksdagen: Employment Protection Act, section 6 c (in Swedish) Migrationsverket: EU/EEA citizens Migrationsverket: who needs a work permit?
2. Check your pay, hours and holiday

   Sweden has no law on minimum wages. Many collective agreements set the lowest pay, for example for new employees. If your workplace has a collective agreement, it should be stated in your written terms.

   • Ordinary working time is at most 40 hours a week. Overtime may be at most 200 hours a year.
   • You should get at least 11 hours' rest in a row every 24 hours, and 36 hours off in a row every week.
   • You shouldn't work more than 5 hours in a row without a break.
   • A collective agreement can have other rules on working time than the law.
   • If a time is in your schedule and your manager doesn't want you to work it, you should still be paid for it.
   • You have the right to 25 days' holiday a year. You earn holiday pay while you work, so in your first year some days may be unpaid.

   Never work for free. You should be paid even when you try out a job.

   Medlingsinstitutet: minimum wages (in Swedish) Arbetsmiljöverket: the Working Hours Act (in Swedish) Arbetsförmedlingen: rights and obligations
3. Check your payslip and tax

   You have the right to a payslip every time you're paid. It should show, among other things, your pay before tax, the tax deducted and the pay you receive. Keep your payslips for six years.

   With e-identification you can see in the service Mina inkomstuppgifter, run by Skatteverket (the Swedish Tax Agency), what your employer has reported about your pay and tax. If your pay is missing there, contact your employer. These are the details the a-kassa uses.

   In Skatteverket's e-service Hämta företagsinformation you can see whether a company is registered as an employer. If it isn't, you risk tax and contributions not being paid for you.

   Working off the books (svart), without tax, is illegal. You can be made to pay the tax afterwards, up to five years back, plus a tax surcharge. You also get no a-kassa, and your pension will be lower.

   No BankID yet? See the BankID tool. There's more about tax in the Tax tool.

   Skatteverket: see your income details (in Swedish) Skatteverket: look up a company (in Swedish) Skatteverket: working legally (in Swedish)
4. Join a trade union If you want

   A trade union (fackförbund, often just called facket) is an association for employees. It negotiates pay and terms and signs collective agreements with employers. You have the right to be a member, and your employer may not punish you for it. Whether you join is up to you.

   As a member you can get advice, and sometimes legal help, if for example you're paid the wrong amount or must work more hours than your contract says.

   If your workplace has a collective agreement, it applies to all employees, including those who aren't union members. Nearly 9 in 10 employees are covered by one, according to Medlingsinstitutet (the Swedish National Mediation Office). Which union fits depends on your occupation or industry. Ask whether there's a union contact person at work.

   What does a safety representative do?

   The safety representative (skyddsombud) works for a good and safe work environment and represents all employees, including those who aren't union members. The union usually appoints the safety representative. If there's no union, the employees can choose one themselves.

   Medlingsinstitutet: trade unions (in Swedish) Arbetsmiljöverket: safety representatives (in Swedish)
5. Join an a-kassa early If you want

   An a-kassa (arbetslöshetskassa, an unemployment insurance fund) can pay you benefit if you lose your job. There are 24 a-kassor for different occupations and industries. You can join once you've started working. Membership costs a fee every month.

   New rules have applied since 1 October 2025. How long you've been a member decides how high your benefit can be. The highest level requires that you've been a member for at least 12 months in a row and are still a member when you apply. If you've been a member for five months or less, or not at all, you get the lowest level.

   You must also have had an income. The main rule is at least SEK 120,000 in the last 12 months, and at least SEK 11,000 a month in at least four of those months. The a-kassa gets your income details from Skatteverket. If you work off the books (svart), you get no a-kassa.

   The benefit is based on your previous pay, but at most SEK 34,000 a month counts. It's paid once a month and goes down after 100 and after 200 benefit days. Your a-kassa calculates it and decides. The rules are explained by IAF (the Swedish Unemployment Insurance Inspectorate).

   Have you worked in another EU country? Ask your a-kassa, or Alfa-kassan if you're not a member anywhere.

   Join early: your membership time only counts from the day you join. To get benefit you must be at least 20 and registered with Arbetsförmedlingen (the Swedish Public Employment Service).

   IAF: new a-kassa rules (in Swedish) IAF: list of a-kassor Arbetsförmedlingen: unemployment benefit
6. If you lose your job If it happens

   Register with Arbetsförmedlingen on your first day without work. The a-kassa counts your right to benefit from that day. The online service is open every day from 7 am to midnight. Without e-identification, you can get help at a service office of Statens servicecenter (the National Government Service Centre).

   Then apply to your a-kassa. If you're not a member, you can apply for membership, or apply for benefit from Alfa-kassan. Your previous employer must fill in an employer's certificate (arbetsgivarintyg).

   The benefit is paid once a month. Send in the details for a month at the latest three months after that month.

   If you're not entitled to benefit, you can contact your municipality and apply for financial support.

   Arbetsförmedlingen: unemployed, what now? Arbetsförmedlingen: unemployment benefit
7. Know the warning signs

   These can mean that an employer is breaking the rules or exploiting you:

   • You get no written terms, or they don't match what you were promised.
   • You're asked to work for free “on trial”. You should always be paid, even when you try out a job.
   • You must pay back part of your pay to the employer.
   • You owe the employer a debt, for example for the journey or housing, that you must work off.
   • The employer wants your passport, your bank card or your BankID.
   • You work very long days, and many of them.
   • The work is dangerous and protective equipment is missing.
   • You must live at the workplace, share a small home with many others or live in very basic conditions at a high cost.
   • You get no payslip, or your pay doesn't show up at Skatteverket.

   Exploiting someone for work under obviously unreasonable conditions is a crime in Sweden. It's a crime even if nobody recruited you or brought you here.

   Polisen: labour exploitation (in Swedish) Polisen: human trafficking (in Swedish) Jämställdhetsmyndigheten: brochure in 12 languages (page in Swedish)
8. Get help and report
   • Urgent danger: call 112. Otherwise call Polisen (the Swedish Police) on 114 14; they speak Swedish and English. You can also send a tip online, and you can stay anonymous.
   • Dangerous work environment: first talk to your manager or the safety representative. You can also report it to Arbetsmiljöverket (the Swedish Work Environment Authority). If the tip is about your own workplace, they don't disclose it.
   • Wrong pay or problems with your contract: contact your union or other legal help. Arbetsmiljöverket doesn't answer questions about pay and contracts.
   • Your employer doesn't pay your wages, doesn't deduct tax or gives you no payslip: tell Skatteverket. You don't have to give your name.
   • Discrimination: report it to Diskrimineringsombudsmannen, DO (the Equality Ombudsman). If you're a union member, contact your union first.
   • If you need housing or money: contact the social services (socialtjänsten) in your municipality. In the evenings and at weekends you reach the social emergency service (socialjouren) through 112.

   Act quickly on discrimination at work. The time limit for going to court can be as short as two weeks after the event.

   If you've been the victim of a crime

   Brottsofferjouren, a victim support organisation, gives free support on 116 006. The regional coordinators of Jämställdhetsmyndigheten (the Swedish Gender Equality Agency) can help you contact the police, social services and healthcare.

   Polisen: contacting the police Polisen: tip about labour crime (in Swedish) Arbetsmiljöverket: report risks Skatteverket: report suspected fraud (in Swedish) DO: report discrimination Jämställdhetsmyndigheten: regional coordinators (in Swedish)