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Written Agreements

In Sweden, a written employment contract is not necessary. Employment contracts can be written or oral and are not subject to formal requirements.

Employers must provide employees with a written statement of employment particulars within 1 month of work commencement unless the employment lasts less than 3 weeks. The information must contain the following particulars:

• Names and addresses of both parties, employment start date
• Job description, occupational designation, or title
• Fixed or indefinite term of the employment or the applicable probationary period
• Pay rate, benefits, and payment schedule
• Length of annual leave and the normal working day or working week
• Collective bargaining agreement, where applicable and relevant

A non-compete clause in an employment contract must be in writing. The restriction must be reasonable in terms of location and time.

Oral Agreements

Under Swedish labor law, employment contracts can be made in any form and are not subject to formal requirements. However, employers must still provide employees with a written statement of employment particulars within one month of work commencement.

Implied Agreements

Under Swedish labor law, employment contracts can be made in any form and are not subject to formal requirements. The Employment Protection Act states that an employment contract can be made in any form. However, employers must still provide employees with a written statement of employment particulars within 1 month of work commencement.

In Sweden, the normal working hours of full-time employees are 40 hours per week. If due to the nature of the activity, an employee must be at the workplace waiting to carry-out work as needed, the employee may claim on-call time to a maximum of 48 hours over four weeks or 50 hours per calendar month.

While Sweden does not have a specific legislation regarding remote working in place, the Work Environment Act states that employers are responsible for an employee's work environment even if they are working from home. Employers must do everything necessary to prevent the employee from being exposed to ill health or accidents. In addition to the statutory breaks, employees must be able to take shorter breaks that count towards working time.

New Year’s Day (nyårsdagen): January 1, Epiphany (trettondedag): January 6, Good Friday (långfredagen): The Friday before Easter Sunday, Easter Sunday (påskdagen): The Sunday closest after the full moon that occurs on or closest after 21 March, Easter Monday (annandag påsk): The day after Easter Sunday, International Workers’ Day (första maj): May 1, Ascension Day ( Kristi himmelsfärdsdag): Sixth Thursday after Easter Sunday, Pentecost (pingstdagen): Seventh Sunday after Easter Sunday, National Day of Sweden (Sveriges nationaldag): June 6, Midsummer’s Day (midsommardagen): The Saturday during the period 20–26 June, All Saints’ Day ( alla helgons dag ): The Saturday during the period 31 October–6 November, Christmas Day (juldagen): 25 December, Boxing Day (annandag jul): 26 December.

Probationary periods cannot be longer than 6 months. Provided that a 2-week notice is given, either party can terminate the employment relationship at any time and for any reason (except those discriminatory) during the probationary period.

An employer may decide not to offer indefinite-term employment to a worker on probation. In this case, during the probationary period, the employer must provide the employee with at least 2 weeks' notice of the intention not to continue employment on the probation's expiry. In the absence of such notice, upon expiry of the probation period, employment will be for an indefinite term.

Notice Period

The notice period for indefinite-term employees is calculated as follows:

• 0-2 years of employment: 1 month's notice
• 2-4 years of employment: 2 months' notice
• 4-6 years of employment: 3 months' notice
• 6-8 years of employment: 4 months' notice
• 8-10 years of employment: 5 months' notice
• More than 10 years of employment: 6 months' notice

The notice must be given in writing, given personally to the employee, and contain certain formalities (particularly, the reason for termination and how the employee should proceed if they wish to challenge the termination).

In the case of fixed-term employment contracts, when the contract of an employee employed for at least 12 months in the last 3 years ends and will not be renewed, the employer must provide at least 1 month's notice before the contract's expiry.

Severance Benefits

Sweden has no statutory severance pay requirements for employers. Severance pay is usually stipulated in individual employment contracts and collective agreements.

The collective bargaining foundation, TRR Trygghetsrådet, assists employees whose employment has been terminated due to a shortage of work or illness.

AGE provides 70% of the previous salary, including compensation from the unemployment insurance fund. Depending on the employee's age, AGE is payable 6 to 18 months after cessation of employment.

Minimum Wage

Sweden has no statutory minimum wages. Instead, the minimum wage is determined through collective bargaining agreements (overenskomster), which can vary by industry.

Wages are set taking into account the responsibility and level of difficulty of the work tasks, work environment, nature of tasks, skills required, independence in job, industry, and other factors.

The frequency of salary payment is determined by the individual employment contract.

Overtime, Holiday & Vacation Pay

Overtime hours may not exceed 48 hours over four weeks, 50 hours per calendar month, and 200 hours per calendar year. Overtime in excess of general overtime is limited to a maximum of 150 hours in a calendar year. It is permitted if there are special grounds for allowing it and no other reasonable solution has been possible. The laws of Sweden also offer provisions for on-callhours during which an employee is at the workplace to work if needed. An employee may not perform more than 48 on-call hours over a four week period or 50 hours over a calendar month.

With no national regulation on overtime pay, rates are determined either by collective agreement or mutual agreement between employee and employer. There are no special payment regulations for working on public holidays.

Annual leave pay depends on how an employee is compensated. For employees paid weekly or monthly, the same-pay rule applies with certain exceptions. The holiday supplement for weekly-paid employees is 1.82% of weekly pay. The holiday supplement for monthly-paid employees is 0.43% of monthly pay. For others, the percentage rule applies, under which employees receive 12% of the annual compensation for annual leave.

Visas

To visit Sweden, individuals must have a Schengen Visa unless they are nationals of the UK, Australia, Canada, and the United States. This visa allows an individual to stay in Sweden for up to 90 days. Those who wish to stay longer than 3 months require a visitor's residence permit.

A Schengen Visa may be granted for the following purposes:

• Visiting relatives or friends (requires an invitation from the host)
• Business or conference visits, seminars, or similar arrangements (requires an invitation from the host company)
• Tourism
• Medical treatment (requires a medical certificate detailing the treatment and proof that money has been deposited in Sweden for the same)
• Religious purposes (requires an invitation from a religious organization/assembly)
• Studies and research (requires an invitation or proof of acceptance from a university in Sweden)
• Internship or volunteering (requires an invitation from the internship/volunteer organization)

EU citizens don't need a permit to visit, work, or live in Sweden. EU nationals may stay for an unlimited period but must register with the local authorities if staying longer than three months.

Work Permits

Citizens of countries outside the EU must have a work permit to work in Sweden. To obtain such a permit, a person must have a job offer from an employer in Sweden. The employer must have prepared the offer of employment and advertised the job in Sweden and the EU for at least 10 days (this applies to new recruitment). In 2024, the monthly median salary required to obtain a work permit in Sweden is SEK 28,480 (Swedish Krona). The terms of employment must be at least on par with those set by Swedish collective agreements or those customary within the occupation or industry. A work permit is valid for up to 1 year and is renewable.

The entry visa (D-visa) allows a person who has applied for an extension to their residence permit to go on a business trip outside Sweden during the processing time.

EU and EEA citizens do not require visas and may work in Sweden without work and residence permits. However, if they want to stay longer than 3 months, they must register with the Swedish Migration Board.