Transcript PowerPoint-presentation

Living and Working
IN SWEDEN
Thomas Engel
EURES Adviser
Jönköping, Sweden
[email protected]
Facts about 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)
Umeå
Stockholm
Göteborg
Malmö
1574 km
Kiruna
Famous Swedes
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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
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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
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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://www.eures.europa.eu/
• 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:
 Cover letter (1 page)
 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
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Is not a part of the Social Insurance scheme.
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Basic insurance:
No membership requirement, max 320 SEK/day
Voluntary insurance:
For members of an unemployment
insurance fund, max 680 SEK/day
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300 days, 5 days per week. Tax will be deducted.
(2011)
www.iaf.se
Housing
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Rent an apartment or house
(cooker, fridge and freezer included)
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1 bedroom apartment, average rent
4,595 SEK/month, 68 m2
(heat included)
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Buy into a housing co-op
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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
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Coffee and coffee breaks
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Shoes off indoors (in people’s homes)
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Tend to avoid conflict
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Light summer nights and dark winters
Tack! Thank you!
Thomas Engel
[email protected]
Brochure: Living and Working in Sweden
www.arbetsformedlingen.se under Other languages