Looking for a job in Sweden?

A report from the Swedish Employment Service shows where to look and what to avoid. 

  • Young Swedes thinking about a higher education should consider studying to become either engineers…

  • A report from Arbetsförmedlingen (Swedish Public Employment Service), shows which sectors and industries are in need of people, and what professions young people looking to get educated, should avoid. What the report makes clear is, that education and experience become more and more important for the person looking for work, since it is in the areas that demand higher education that the least competition can be found.

  • Health care. That’s where the jobs are now, and will likely be for quite some time.

  • “In spite of the fact that there are more jobs, many job seekers still have difficulties establishing themselves on the job market. They are lacking post high school qualifications and are meeting with an austere job market. The most important advice to the young: Finish your education! This according to Håkan Gustavsson, an analyst at Arbetsförmedlingen.
    In 2014 employment is expected to increase with 41,000 jobs, a slight decrease from 2013 (43,000). The number of new hires or jobs available throughout the year is expected to be around 1.3 million so there will be jobs to apply to but competition will be fierce in many sectors. Here's what to look - and look out - for:

  • A good read for anyone looking for a job in Sweden or preparing for a higher eduction. The report from Arbetsförmedlingen carries an image of a happy girl in a not so traditional woman's job.

  • Engineers and technicians: Employment within the industry is expected to decrease, not the least for those who perform manufacturing work. On the other hand, the job market for those with a technical profession is getting hotter. Hottest of all are the job market for engineers, technicians, and civil engineers focused on mining engineering and metallurgy, but there’s also a desperate need for civil engineers and engineers specializing in building and construction, as well as those with a focus on mechanical engineering and electrical power.

  • Health care: As the population ages, the need for personnel within health care and elderly care increases. And even if efforts have been done, Arbetsförmedlingen notes that the shortage in professionals in this sector remains high, to a certain degree because of the length of the education. There’s a dire need for personnel, and it is not expected to decrease. Also, the increasing interest in working in Norway where salaries are higher has made the shortage even greater. Most wanted? Doctors and specialized nurses, including those within psychiatric care. But also dispensers, dentists, psychologists, pharmacists, dental hygienists, assistant nurses, and dental assistants. This shortage is expected to last five to ten years.

  • IT personnel: The IT companies benefit as the industry steps into a recovery phase, employment is expected to pick up after a few relatively slow years. Arbetsförmedlingen’s report states that unemployment in the IT sector is comparatively low and that those outside the job market lack the right skills. It is mostly those with special skills that are in demand, not the least IT architects, as well as software and system developers. The demand for IT professionals is expected to be high during the next ten years. Arbetsförmedligen sends out a warning however; Swedish companies will continue to add jobs abroad instead of at home. For the person lacking in special skills or with a shorter education, it might be difficult to get an IT job. The competition for work as an operating or support technician is deemed tough.

  • Tough competition: Professions that need higher education and have the greatest surplus of applicants are: Photographers, healthcare consultants, reporters, administrators, investigators, public administration, ship officers, librarians, information officers, and biologists.

  • The entire report is here: Var finns jobben? (In Swedish only)