logo
Swedish companies aren't feeling confident about hiring more staff in the year ahead

Swedish companies aren't feeling confident about hiring more staff in the year ahead

Local Sweden8 hours ago

Swedish businesses remain pessimistic about their hiring prospects in the near future, with only one in four believing they will have more employees within a year, a survey suggests.
Advertisement
The economic downturn and continued uncertainty about United States President Donald Trump's postponed trade tariffs are still causing concern among Swedish businesses.
The Confederation of Swedish Enterprise (Svenskt Näringsliv) quizzed nearly 6,000 companies on their views on the current situation as part of their business panel.
When asked whether they think their staff will increase over the next year, six out of ten companies still believe they will remain unchanged, and one in ten believe they will have fewer employees – unchanged from the previous survey in the first quarter of the year.
And when it comes to investments, 52 percent assess the situation as unchanged.
The Confederation of Swedish Enterprise also predicts that Sweden's Riksbank will decide to lower the key interest rate this week, followed by another cut after the summer.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Work permits and laughing gas: What changes in Sweden this summer?
Work permits and laughing gas: What changes in Sweden this summer?

Local Sweden

time8 hours ago

  • Local Sweden

Work permits and laughing gas: What changes in Sweden this summer?

In many ways, Sweden grinds to a halt during the summer, as workers head out to the countryside for a well-earned rest. That's not quite true though – here are the new laws and other changes in store for the next few months. Advertisement June The salary threshold for work permits was originally set to be raised to 100 percent of the median salary on June 1st. As readers will have realised by now, that didn't happen. Sweden's Migration Minister Johan Forssell told The Local in May that 'no formal decision' has been made on where the final salary threshold will actually end up. What we do know, though, is that the government in February asked the Migration Agency to present a list of which professions should be exempt from the salary threshold by August 1st, suggesting that the original plan to roll out the new threshold on June 1st will be postponed until at least the autumn. Staying on the topic of work permits, Statistics Sweden is set to release new figures on June 17th. This may not sound like a big deal, but these are the figures which affect the salary threshold for work permit applicants in Sweden. The most recent figures from June last year put the median salary at 35,600 kronor, meaning that work permit holders applying for a new permit or an extension need to earn 80 percent of this – 28,480 kronor – to qualify for a permit. This was a hike of over a thousand kronor compared with the year before. Advertisement Once the new median salary figure has been released, the work permit salary requirement will (almost certainly) rise. This will only apply to applications submitted from that date – the threshold is determined by the most recent salary figures at the time of application, not at the time a decision is made. The Riksbank central bank is also set to make a decision on whether or not to cut Sweden's key interest rate on June 18th. A number of Swedish banks, among them Handelsbanken and Swedbank, predict a cut in June, due in part to lower than expected inflation in May. There will also be interest rate announcements in July and August. There are a couple of political events this month – Järvaveckan on June 11th-14th in Stockholm and Almedalen on Gotland between June 23rd and 27th. Midsummer falls on June 20th – and it's the last public holiday of the year (until Christmas at least), so make the most of it. Advertisement July A lot of new laws usually come into force in Sweden on July 1st. Sweden's former government introduced a flight tax in 2018 to lower the impact of flights on the climate. That will be abolished from July 1st, which the current government and the Sweden Democrats expect will shave 80 kronor off the price of domestic and European flights. Flights outside Europe are expected to be around 325 kronor cheaper. The sale of laughing gas will also be banned from July 1st in cases where there is a suspicion it will be used for recreational purposes. There will also be a ban on selling it to minors and a limit on the amount which can be purchased at one time, set at 18 grams. Sellers found breaking the new law risk a fine or a prison sentence of up to six months. Advertisement A new law making it easy to change legal gender is also set to come into force from July 1st. The law would allow qualified doctors, psychologists, psychotherapists and healthcare counsellors (kurator) to write up a document for patients wishing to change gender, which would then be processed by the National Board of Health and Welfare (Socialstyrelsen). If the request to change legal gender is granted, the Tax Agency would be responsible for changing their gender in the population register, as well as altering the second-to-last number in the applicants' personal number – women have even numbers while men have odd numbers. Tax on beer will also be cut from the beginning of July for small independent breweries – defined as breweries producing a maximum of three million litres of beer per year. The size of the tax cut is determined by the breweries' yearly production, with a maximum cut of 50 percent. If you got your final tax bill at the beginning of April, you'll have to pay any arrears by July 14th. August The Migration Agency is set to present its list of exceptions to the work permit salary threshold to the government by August 1st. That doesn't mean that they will come into force on that date, but it does mean that we should at least have more information about which professions could be included. Swedes start heading back to the office after their summer holidays, with Monday July 28th and Monday August 4th likely to be the big return days this year. The majority of workers take at least a couple of weeks off during July, with many taking three or even four. This means that replies to all those unanswered emails you've sent over the last month will start ticking into your inbox as Sweden's workers return to their desks. The autumn semester in schools and universities gets under way in August and early September, although the exact date depends on where in Sweden you live. There are a couple of festivals happening this month – music festival Way out West in Gothenburg from August 7th-9th, and Malmöfestivalen between August 8th and 15th. Unfortunately there are no public holidays in August, although this doesn't mean there's nothing to celebrate. The crayfish season officially starts on August 7th this year, so be prepared for crayfish-themed decorations to start popping up in your local supermarket, and find some friends (preferably with access to a summer house) to hold your very own kräftskiva (crayfish party). As with most Swedish celebrations, expect drinking songs, lots of snaps, crispbread, cheese, and most likely some sort of västerbottenpaj – a quiche featuring Sweden's favourite cheese, västerbottensost. Here's our guide to six essential Swedish drinking songs for crayfish party season.

Swedish companies aren't feeling confident about hiring more staff in the year ahead
Swedish companies aren't feeling confident about hiring more staff in the year ahead

Local Sweden

time8 hours ago

  • Local Sweden

Swedish companies aren't feeling confident about hiring more staff in the year ahead

Swedish businesses remain pessimistic about their hiring prospects in the near future, with only one in four believing they will have more employees within a year, a survey suggests. Advertisement The economic downturn and continued uncertainty about United States President Donald Trump's postponed trade tariffs are still causing concern among Swedish businesses. The Confederation of Swedish Enterprise (Svenskt Näringsliv) quizzed nearly 6,000 companies on their views on the current situation as part of their business panel. When asked whether they think their staff will increase over the next year, six out of ten companies still believe they will remain unchanged, and one in ten believe they will have fewer employees – unchanged from the previous survey in the first quarter of the year. And when it comes to investments, 52 percent assess the situation as unchanged. The Confederation of Swedish Enterprise also predicts that Sweden's Riksbank will decide to lower the key interest rate this week, followed by another cut after the summer.

Sweden steps up rules against Russia's Baltic 'shadow fleet'
Sweden steps up rules against Russia's Baltic 'shadow fleet'

Local Sweden

time31-05-2025

  • Local Sweden

Sweden steps up rules against Russia's Baltic 'shadow fleet'

Sweden on Saturday announced new rules upping checks on foreign vessels in the Baltic from July 1, reinforcing a crackdown on Russia's "shadow fleet" of tankers deployed to circumvent sanctions on its oil trade. Advertisement Since the Western-led sanctions imposed after its 2022 all-out invasion of Ukraine, Moscow has been relying on hundreds of such ships, that operate under murky ownership and dodgy insurance. European governments frequently blame the vessels for damaging -- deliberately or not -- undersea cables, and of posing a maritime environmental threat. The Swedish government said in a statement that the new rules "reinforce checks on foreign vessels by requiring insurance information". It said the effort "aims to fight against this fleet and, in so doing, improve maritime safety and environmental protection". The Swedish coast guard and maritime authorities will be tasked with scrutinising insurance details not only of ships docking in Swedish ports, "but also those crossing Swedish territorial waters, or its exclusive economic zone", which extends some 200 nautical miles from shore. Sweden and Finland -- both of whom recently joined NATO -- are alert to Baltic Sea incidents impacting energy and communication infrastructure, after several instances of damage in late 2024. Advertisement "We are seeing a growing number of concerning incidents in the Baltic Sea, which requires... us to prepare for the worst," Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said in Saturday's statement. He added that information gleaned under the new rules checking vessels would be shared with allies and could be added to databases used for sanctions enforcement. The European Union last week adopted a 17th sanctions package against Russia that targets nearly 200 vessels in the "shadow fleet".

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store