Sweden
Access clear and actionable HR guidance for Sweden with Lerio's expert resources.
Hiring in Sweden at a glance
kr / SEK
40 hours / week
14 holidays / years
Payment frequency is monthly.
Swedish
10M
No minimum wage.
1st Jan – 31st Dec
Employment Tax
- Employee tax: 37%-62%
- Pension: 7%
- Municipal income tax: 32%
- National income tax, based on variables such as taxable income: Less than kr613900: 0%
More 613901: 20%
- Social insurance: 31.42%, which includes General payroll contribution, Retirement,
Health insurance, Labour market fee, Parental Insurance, Survivors Pension, and Work Injury
NA
Employer of Record
in Sweden
In the capacity of the approved employer, an Employer of Record is responsible for ensuring adherence to all legal requisites pertaining to employment in Australia. This includes responsibilities such as payroll management, tax compliance, and the issuance of employment contracts as prescribed by labor regulations.
Employer of
Record Process
- Company
- Full legal name of prospective employee
- Employee contact details
- Employee nationality and residency status
- Proposed start date
- Right to work status
- Job title
- Working hours
- Job description and deliverables
- Salary information
- Benefit information
- Intellectual property and confidentiality agreement
- Terms of termination (e.g. notice period)
- Probation period
- EMployee bank details
- All other company-specific requirements (e.g. non-compete, intellectual property clauses, etc.)
Finds their perfect hire and provides Lerio with all the information required to prepare an employment agreement. For Australia, that includes:
- Lerio
Prepares the employment agreement and shares with the prospective employee for signing. Requests all additional documents such as identity documents, proof of right to work in Australia, tax information, etc.
- Employee
Signs employment agreement and submits required documents.
Umbrella Process
- Employee
Now no longer a prospective employee but simply an official employee, who ensures to keep Lerio updated on any personal information changes.
- Lerio
Onboards employee to payroll and benefit programs to get started ensuring that salaries are paid every month and benefits are administered. Tax contributions and benefit fees are paid and payslips are provided to the employee.
Lerio provides an invoice and statement to the company for each month.
- Company
Receives monthly invoice, reviews and processes. Provides information on whether anything has changed in their relationship with the employee, the employee’s role or the company that will have an effect on the upcoming payroll run.
Employee Benefits
- Pension
- Workers compensation insurance
- Health Insurance
- Life insurance
- Unemployment insurance
- Parental insurance
Non-mandatory
Employee Benefits
- Extended health insurance
- Extended pension
- Flexible work arrangement
- Additional paid time off
Employee Rights
and Protections
- A safe and healthy work environment free from risk
- Protection from bullying, discrimination and sexual harassment
- Fair and just dismissals
- Protection of personal information
- Access to information such as company policies and codes of conducts
- Equal and equitable treatment and payment
- Payslips showing all deductions and income
- Whistleblower protection
Leave
25 days per year after 1 year of employment
- 14 days paid by employer and additional days need to be applied for
with social insurance agency. - 2 – 14 days: paid at 80% of standard salary by employer
- 14 + :75%:paid at 80% of standard salary from social insurance
14 weeks, two of which must be taken directly after birth. Leave is paid at 80% of salary by social insurance.
10 days paid at 80% of salary through social insurance. Leave must be taken within the first 60 days following the birth.
- 480 days shared between parents. Leave is paid at 80% through
social security, capped at kr1 116 per day. - 1 parent is allowed to take a maximum of 390 days. Within the first year, parents may only take 30 days of leave at the same time. Leave is available until the child turns 12.
- There may be several types of other leave entitlements available as detailed in the respective Collective Bargaining Agreements.
Heavily dependent on CBA but statutory is:
- Less than 3 years: 1 month
- 2 – 4 years: 2 months
- 4 – 6 years: 3 months
- 6 – 8 years: 4 months
- 8 – 10 years: 5 months
- 10 years + : 6 months
Probation
Option and can be maximum 6 months
What is a work permit in Sweden?
Work permits are official documents from a country’s government that qualifies an individual to legally work and live in the country. However, this is a broad term and many countries require more than one official document and may use different terms to refer to these documents – and Sweden is one of them. Essentially all terms are referencing documents that prove someone has been given the legal right to work and live in the country.
In Sweden, the “work permit” required to legally live and work there is generally made up of two separate documents:
- Work permit
- Residence permit
Who needs a work permit in Sweden?
Sweden requires everyone who is not a citizen or a permanent resident to go through a process of obtaining legal right to work, with certain exceptions:
EU member state citizens: All EU citizens have the right to work in another EU member state. They may however need to register their presence in the country (if staying for three months or less) or register your residence (staying for longer than three months). Sweden is an EU member state and therefore EU member state citizens don’t need to obtain any documents to prove their right to work and live in Sweden.
Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway: As members of the EEA (European Economic Area), Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway citizens have the same rights as any EU member state citizen to work and live in Sweden. They are required to follow the same process as EU citizens as described above.
Switzerland: Though not a part of the EU or the EEA, the EU has an agreement with the Swiss government that allows a mutual freedom of movement. This affords Swiss nationals the same rights as any EU citizen to work and live in Sweden. They are required to follow the same process as EU citizens as described above.
Therefore, anybody who is not a citizen of an EU member state, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland needs to go through the process to obtain a legal right to work.
*UK citizens: Please see here to understand the rights of UK citizens who settled in Sweden prior to Brexit.
How long does it take to get a work permit in Sweden?
Current processing times are estimated to be:
Four months in total, with the following parts of the application having specified times:
- Feedback from trade union: Up to 30 days
- Production of residence permit after approval: It takes up to four weeks to manufacture and deliver the card.
Types of work visas in Sweden
Short-stay visa
To enter Sweden on a work permit, a short-stay visa to allow entry is also required. This does allow someone to work until they receive their work permit.
Work Permit
Eligibility
- Employment agreement with a Swedish company
- The employer needs to be able to prove that the role could not be filled locally and their trade union must agree
- Salary of at least the monthly median wage for the industry and role
- Employer must provide health, life, employment and pension insurance
EU Blue Card
The EU blue card is a combined work and residency permit available to highly skilled individuals. It allows holders access to live and work in 25 out of the 27 EU member states (Denmark and Ireland not included).
Eligibility
- Bachelors or higher degree, some states accept 5 years of relevant experience without a degree
- Must be a salaried employee, not self-employed
- Annual salary must be at least 1.5 times the average national income of the state applying for
- Offer of employment
- Health insurance
Country-specific requirements and application processes can be seen here.
Other visas
In addition you can apply for seasonal work visas and self-employed work visas.
Application process in Sweden
Work Permit
- The employer needs to request authorization from the Swedish Migration Agency online.
- There are three sections on the portal: Information about the employment, union statement and application. The first two need to be completed by the employer.
- When this is completed, an email will be sent to the employee with a link to complete the third section.
- The relevant trade union needs to review the application and provide an opinion.
- There are two ways for the employer to do this, either digitally or manually, both of which are done through the portal.
Short-stay visa
This is not required if the employee is from a country on this exempted list.
- Employee applies for this visa through their local embassy or consulate
- Depending on the country the application is coming from, either start the application through the online portal and make an appointment or contact the local embassy to make an appointment.
- Provide all supporting documents either online or at the appointment
- At the appointment biometric information may need to be provided
- Pay the fees
- Upon approval, the visa can either be collected or delivered
Residence Permit
- If a work permit was approved for more than three months, a residence permit is automatically issued.
- If the employee is in Sweden
- The approval and residence permit will be received by post.
- If outside of Sweden
- the employer receives the approval and the employee will collect the residence card at their local embassy or consulate. At the embassy or consulate, photos will be taken and biometric information will be collected.
What documents are required to apply for a work permit in Sweden?
Short-stay vias
- Passport with 2 blank pages
- 2 photos
- Offer of employment
- Proof of funds
- Proof of health insurance for the initial period
Work and residence permit
Documents may vary based on the employee’s country of origin.
- Passport copy
- Employee information: Name, date of birth, citizenship, education and email address.
- Company information: Organization number, contact details, start date for the business and workplace.
- SSYK code for the occupation
- Job description
- Employment agreement
- Proof of advertising and recruiting the role locally
- Proof that the salary of at least the monthly minimum wage
- Proof of education and qualifications
- Proof of relevant experience/qualifications to the job
Additional requirements apply for specific industries and for newly formed
businesses.See the industries and their requirements here.
See the requirements for new business here.
Contact Us
If you have questions - feel free to ask them. We are happy to help our clients.