Living in Sweden: Finding a Job

The first step to moving to Sweden is to find a job. Without a job, you are pretty much SOL in terms of living in the country. There are a few exceptions to living in Sweden without finding a job. Here are the exceptions:
Student in Sweden – Exchange students, post secondary education, graduate students. Link here.
Asylum Seeker to Sweden – Obviously very tight regulations here.  If you are not from a war torn country, most likely you will not be approved as a refugee in Sweden. See more here.
Researcher visiting Sweden – Here’s information directly from Migrationsverket: Visiting researchers do not need a work permit but may only work as visiting researchers with the research organization (for example, university, institute or business) that has employed the researcher. The research organization must be approved by the Swedish National Agency for Higher Education. Visiting researchers who will work in Sweden for a period exceeding three months must have a residence permit.”  And for more information, you can read here.
Performing Artists in Sweden – Includes singers, musicians, dancers and circus artists, etc.  Those accompanying the artist as technicians, road managers, etc, also come into this category and must therefore have permits as well.  There are quite a few exceptions so be sure to read information page about it.
Au pair in Sweden – Fairly simple as the program is similar to other countries.  Two key notes: the Philippines does NOT allow for au pairs to any European country and you should between 18-30 years of age in order to apply as an au pair in Sweden. For more info, go here.

Employee seeking in Sweden:

If you don’t fall into any of the categories above, then go find a job, now. Yes, now!  People ask me if they should look for a job when they intend to work in three months time, that’s the point, you need to prepare to find a job now.  When I searched for a job almost two years ago, the online resources were scarce.  Today, you have the advantage of a lot of resources and helpful advice.  The merger between Arbetsförmedlingen and Migrationsverket has also reduced the paperwork and confusion when applying for a work permit.  Start with the find a job in Sweden resource from Arbetsförmedlingen; they have some great bits and I’ve summarized the most important below.  Read the full guide here.

Education:
Have it; have a good secondary education. Swedes themselves may not care about the level of education you have, but companies who are hiring foreigners do.  I know I got my foot in the door at interviews because of the university I went to and the experience I had there (btw, I only hold a BA).  If you are close to obtaining your degree, please complete it before coming to Sweden, it is definitely an intangible benefit.   If you do not hold a degree, have a strong CV documenting your experience and strengths in work.   You can check out the other page on job interviews and CVs in Sweden.

Current industries looking for employees:

• University-trained healthcare professionals
• Skilled tradespeople and engineering graduates in the industrial sector
• Skilled tradespeople and engineers in the building sector
• Specially trained chefs (especially in Stockholm and tourist destinations)
• Qualified sales representatives
• Accountants
• Drivers and motor mechanics
• Preschool teachers and schoolteachers
• Information technology graduates

If your profession does not fall into one of these categories, don’t fret, you still have a great chance of coming to Sweden.  Just know that pool of applicants will be tighter.

Places to find open job opportunities in Sweden:
http://www.workey.se – A large database of jobs.
http://www.academicwork.se – Great place to post your CV if you are a new graduate or still a university student.
http://www.jobsinstockholm.com – It has jobs in Stockholm as well as jobs all over Sweden.
http://www.arbetsformedlingen.se -  The Swedish umeployment board, a great place to look for postings.
http://www.monster.se –  The Monster in the Swedish version.
http://www.xpats.nu -  Small site that discusses moving to Sweden and has a jobs board.
http://www.manpower.se –
http://metrojobb.se – One of the major daily newspapers in Sweden.
http://www.stepstone.se — StepStone
http://www.dn.se/ekonomi/sokjobb — Job classifieds from Dagens Nyheter, another major Swedish newspaper (I think one of the best)
http://eures.europa.eu – A database for job applicants in all of Europe.

http://www.thelocal.se -  The English Newspaper for Sweden.  The quality of writing is mediocre at best, but they have a pretty extensive job listing.

Sweden Networking Sites:
http://www.swedenintouch.se – A forum from the makers of Sweden.se.
http://www.siliconvikings.com – For people who lived in the Bay Area or do business with the Bay Area (that’s silicon valley in San Francisco).

I hope this helps you all out in the search for a job.  If you have questions or suggestions, definitely post them before.  People are always looking for job opportunities in Sweden, we can all use a little help.

Wait, there's more to read!

1. The Living in Sweden Series