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Arbetslösheten i Sverige – juli 2026/ Swedish Labour Market Update – July 2026

Lätt svenska


Arbetslösheten ökar I juni var arbetslösheten 9,9 procent. Förra året var den 9,4 procent. Efter säsongsjustering var siffran 8,7 procent. Fler personer har korta jobb nu, det är en liten ljuspunkt.


Färre söker arbetstillstånd Sverige säger att landet vill ha mer arbetskraft från andra länder. Men reglerna är hårdare nu. Färre personer söker arbetstillstånd än för tio år sedan. Fler ansökningar får avslag. Cirka 4 av 10 ansökningar avslås nu.


Förlängning av arbetstillstånd – gammal lönegräns gäller till 1 december 2026 Om du redan hade arbetstillstånd före 1 juni 2026, kan du ansöka om förlängning med den gamla lönegränsen. Den gamla gränsen är 29 680 kronor i månaden. Du måste ansöka innan 1 december 2026. Efter det datumet gäller en ny och högre gräns: 33 390 kronor i månaden (eller 27 825 kronor för vissa yrken). Tips: ansök i tid!


Längre tid att söka nytt jobb om du blir av med jobbet Regeringen har lagt fram ett förslag. Om du haft arbetstillstånd i mer än 2 år och blir av med jobbet, ska du få 6 månader (istället för 3) att hitta ett nytt jobb. Du måste visa att du klarar dig ekonomiskt under tiden. Förslaget väntas börja gälla 1 februari 2027.


Bärplockare skannas 6 gånger om dagen I Herrskog (Kramfors kommun) arbetar cirka 140 thailändska bärplockare. De måste skanna sitt ansikte 6 gånger varje dag med en app, för att visa att de är på jobbet. De får inte betalt för resorna till och från skogen.


Arbetslösheten i Sverige – juli 2026

English version

Swedish Labour Market Update – July 2026


Unemployment climbs to 9.9%

According to Statistics Sweden (SCB), unemployment in June rose to 9.9 percent, up from 9.4 percent in June of the previous year. The seasonally adjusted figure was 8.7 percent. An SCB statistician noted that while unemployment remains elevated, the number of people on fixed-term contracts is increasing on a seasonally adjusted basis — a small silver lining.


Work-permit applications drop, rejection rate hits a record

Despite Sweden's stated ambition to attract international talent, tightened migration rules and rising salary thresholds are having a chilling effect: first-time work permit applications have fallen well below levels seen a decade ago, and rejection rates have climbed sharply over the same period, reaching roughly four in ten applications today.


Renewing a work permit: old salary threshold available until December 1, 2026

Migration authorities have built in a transition period to soften the impact of the new rules. According to Migrationsverket, during the six-month transition period (June 1 – December 1, 2026), the new salary requirement does not apply to people who received their permit under the old rules and are applying for an extension. Under the old rules, the qualifying monthly salary was 80 percent of the median wage — currently 29,680 kronor, rising to 90 percent, or 33,390 kronor, once the higher threshold takes effect on June 1 (with a lower, exempted rate in some professions). Workers who qualify are advised to apply for renewal as early as possible to lock in the old, lower threshold.


Proposal to extend job-search grace period to 6 months after job loss

On July 9, the government presented a Council on Legislation referral (lagrådsremiss) proposing several changes to work-permit rules. Among them: a worker who has held a permit for more than two years would be entitled to a "transition period" of up to six months if they become unemployed, up from the current three months. The reform is also meant to implement a new EU directive on a single application procedure for non-EU nationals seeking to live and work in a member state, and to make permits easier to transfer between employers without a new application. The changes are proposed to take effect February 1, 2027 (moved from an earlier target date).


A darker side of seasonal labour: berry pickers face facial scans six times a day

Away from the policy headlines, conditions for manual seasonal workers remain a concern. In Herrskog, Kramfors municipality, around 140 Thai berry pickers have their working hours tracked via facial recognition, technology their employer, Nordlivs Produktion, says is necessary to keep operations running, while Sweden's data protection authority stresses that rules on facial recognition of employees are very strict. According to reporting, pickers must scan their faces with a phone app six times a day to work — before the workday even starts, and without pay, they may already have scanned three times: the driver scans when starting and stopping the vehicle, and once work in the forest begins everyone must scan, with the whole sequence repeated at day's end. Even the buyer's own purchasing manager admitted the frequency "could sound like a lot."


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