How to find a job in Sweden as a foreigner

Finding a job in Sweden as a foreigner can be quite tricky. We have therefore created this with our top tips for how to find a job in Sweden as a foreigner. There are many hurdles that you need to overcome in order to find permanent employment. Some of these are legal hurdles such as immigration requirements and others are social like not being able to speak the language.

1. Table of Contents

   Start learning Swedish

   The best thing you can do to try to increase your odds of finding a job in Sweden is to learn the language. Although almost everyone in Sweden speaks English, many companies still prefer employing individuals who are proficient in both languages. Many employers will therefore see it as a bonus if you are able to speak at least some Swedish. If you would like to learn Swedish but don’t know where to start, we would recommend using Italki. We have used it personally to learn other languages and it can be helpful in kickstarting your language learning.

2. Finding a job that is in demand

   Although Swedish is a great way of increasing your chances of landing a job in Sweden, many companies do not have this as a requirement if you are working in an occupation that is considered “in demand”. If you have special skills that the Swedish work force is currently lacking, then you might be able to find a job even without speaking the language. To get a better idea of which occupations this applies to you can find a list of all occupations that the Migration Agency currently deems are in demand here.

3. Where to search for jobs

   From our experience the best place to find job postings is on LinkedIn. LinkedIn is an international platform, and you can therefore search for jobs in English instead of having to use the Swedish job platforms where the interface is all in Swedish. In addition to this, many international companies use LinkedIn to try to attract foreign employers how might have skills that are hard to find in Sweden. For most foreigners it is generally easier to find a job at an international company where the working language in many cases is English.

4. Immigration requirements

   If you are not an EU citizen or someone who is already living in Sweden as a dependent/family member you will in most cases require a work permit in order live and work in Sweden. You can find more about the work permit requirements here.