https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Europe in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed The work-life balance and generous support for family life offered by Sweden is the main factor attracting highly skilled workers to the country, eclipsing salary levels, and the opportunities offered by the labour market, according to a new report. https://www.thelocal.com/20260421/work-life-balance-and-family-chief-draw-for-high-skilled-workers-in-sweden Tue, 21 Apr 2026 12:16:11 +0200 work-life-balance-and-family-chief-draw-for-high-skilled-workers-in-sweden Foreigners are driving the fall in unemployment in Sweden, but there's a concerning number of layoffs. https://www.thelocal.com/20260416/fewer-foreigners-unemployed-in-sweden-than-this-time-last-year Thu, 16 Apr 2026 11:43:59 +0200 fewer-foreigners-unemployed-in-sweden-than-this-time-last-year Sweden's government has announced plans to delay and renegotiate the EU's Pay Transparency Directive, which it argues is so "administratively burdensome" that it threatens gender equality gains. https://www.thelocal.com/20260331/swedish-government-wants-to-renegotiate-pay-transparency-directive Tue, 31 Mar 2026 09:20:59 +0200 swedish-government-wants-to-renegotiate-pay-transparency-directive Six out of ten foreign doctoral students stay in Sweden at least three years after graduating, but they struggle to compete with their Swedish peers on the job market. https://www.thelocal.com/20260303/six-in-ten-foreign-doctoral-students-still-in-sweden-three-years-after-graduating Tue, 03 Mar 2026 15:02:20 +0100 six-in-ten-foreign-doctoral-students-still-in-sweden-three-years-after-graduating The number of graduates registered with Sweden's Public Employment Service as unemployed is rising, while companies are facing a shortage of blue-collar workers. https://www.thelocal.com/20260303/number-of-unemployed-graduates-rise-in-sweden-as-companies-want-blue-collar-workers Tue, 03 Mar 2026 09:12:56 +0100 number-of-unemployed-graduates-rise-in-sweden-as-companies-want-blue-collar-workers Denmark and Sweden have not succeeded in their efforts to have the EU’s minimum wage directive fully annulled after a ruling by the European Court of Justice on Tuesday, but appear likely to remain unaffected by it. https://www.thelocal.com/20251111/denmark-and-sweden-fail-in-attempts-to-annul-eu-regulated-minimum-wage Tue, 11 Nov 2025 16:17:22 +0100 denmark-and-sweden-fail-in-attempts-to-annul-eu-regulated-minimum-wage While Malmö and Skåne are suffering high unemployment, Denmark's capital is screaming out for workers. Is now the time for foreigners living in southern Sweden to look for work on the other side of the Öresund Bridge? https://www.thelocal.com/20250805/should-foreigners-in-southern-sweden-look-for-jobs-in-copenhagen Tue, 05 Aug 2025 17:47:50 +0200 should-foreigners-in-southern-sweden-look-for-jobs-in-copenhagen In the past few months, a number of Swedish gaming companies have gone bankrupt or laid off staff amid struggles to find funding. Why is this happening, and how is it affecting foreigners in the industry? https://www.thelocal.com/20250714/awesome-people-are-getting-pushed-away-whats-happening-in-the-swedish-gaming-industry Mon, 14 Jul 2025 17:37:38 +0200 awesome-people-are-getting-pushed-away-whats-happening-in-the-swedish-gaming-industry Unemployment in Sweden is already high, and still rising. At the end of last month, around 19,000 more people were unemployed than the same time last year. https://www.thelocal.com/20250716/swedish-unemployment-continues-to-rise Wed, 16 Jul 2025 14:25:50 +0200 swedish-unemployment-continues-to-rise While the heavy unionisation of Sweden's workforce makes it comparatively difficult for companies to sack people, the system is also designed to allow companies to reduce staffing or close units when necessary. Here's how the system works. https://www.thelocal.com/20250314/what-happens-in-sweden-when-a-company-wants-to-make-staff-redundant Fri, 14 Mar 2025 15:26:53 +0100 what-happens-in-sweden-when-a-company-wants-to-make-staff-redundant The Swedish government has pledged to attract international talent, while radically limiting asylum and low-skilled immigration. So why do work permit holders so often get the short end of the stick? https://www.thelocal.com/20250701/why-are-there-no-exceptions-for-work-permit-holders-in-swedens-citizenship-reforms Tue, 01 Jul 2025 14:14:33 +0200 why-are-there-no-exceptions-for-work-permit-holders-in-swedens-citizenship-reforms Summer in Sweden means workplaces emptying for weeks on end and a flood of 'out of office' replies from colleagues and clients taking lengthy vacations. But have you ever wondered exactly how the four-week summer holiday became so entrenched in Swedish society? https://www.thelocal.com/20180605/so-why-do-the-swedes-take-such-long-summer-holidays Tue, 05 Jun 2018 15:05:30 +0200 so-why-do-the-swedes-take-such-long-summer-holidays Sweden has put forward a proposal to extend the three-month deadline for work permit holders who lose their jobs to six months, bringing Swedish work permit rules in line with a new EU directive. https://www.thelocal.com/20250611/sweden-proposes-extending-three-month-deadline-for-laid-off-work-permit-holders Wed, 11 Jun 2025 14:26:49 +0200 sweden-proposes-extending-three-month-deadline-for-laid-off-work-permit-holders If you’re looking for a summer job in Sweden, don’t give up just yet – there are still thousands of job openings in everything from the hospitality industry to healthcare. https://www.thelocal.com/20250610/almost-17000-summer-jobs-still-available-in-sweden Tue, 10 Jun 2025 16:41:18 +0200 almost-17000-summer-jobs-still-available-in-sweden Francisca Leonardo, or Frankie, shares the story of how a major health scare, just a couple of years after arriving in Sweden from Canada, sparked a radical career change: from biotechnology to running her own, unique travel brand in Stockholm. https://www.thelocal.com/20250609/my-swedish-career-you-can-influence-the-way-people-behave-towards-foreigners Mon, 09 Jun 2025 09:11:59 +0200 my-swedish-career-you-can-influence-the-way-people-behave-towards-foreigners If there's one way to spark the ire of Swedes, it's by telling them they may not get their aquavit in time for Midsummer. https://www.thelocal.com/20250528/swedes-fear-alcohol-shortage-as-systembolaget-summer-strike-looms Wed, 28 May 2025 11:50:52 +0200 swedes-fear-alcohol-shortage-as-systembolaget-summer-strike-looms Sasan Kazemian, originally from Iran, has been in Sweden since 2021, speaks fluent Swedish, and currently works as a medical resident at Karolinska University Hospital after passing a test 90 percent of applicants fail. He’s also been issued with an order to leave the country. https://www.thelocal.com/20250527/its-a-brain-drain-doctor-ordered-to-leave-sweden-over-mix-up-with-migration-agency Tue, 27 May 2025 12:34:48 +0200 its-a-brain-drain-doctor-ordered-to-leave-sweden-over-mix-up-with-migration-agency Volvo Cars is set to lay off 15 percent of its office-based workforce, it announced on Monday. https://www.thelocal.com/20250526/mass-layoffs-volvo-cars-to-cut-3000-jobs-mainly-in-sweden Mon, 26 May 2025 15:23:57 +0200 mass-layoffs-volvo-cars-to-cut-3000-jobs-mainly-in-sweden Two of Sweden's largest game companies, Massive Entertainment and Sharkmob, want to join together with other companies in the gaming industry to create a specialised collective bargaining agreement. https://www.thelocal.com/20250520/swedish-game-companies-hope-to-break-new-ground-with-joint-union-deal Tue, 20 May 2025 12:03:55 +0200 swedish-game-companies-hope-to-break-new-ground-with-joint-union-deal Syrian-Swedish journalist and filmmaker Jamil Walli moved to Sweden in 2013 as an exchange student, later moving into filmmaking. We spoke to him about his life in Sweden, as well as how the attitude towards immigrants has changed since he first arrived. https://www.thelocal.com/20250513/interview-you-dont-want-me-in-sweden-yeah-sure-i-dont-care Tue, 13 May 2025 15:30:56 +0200 interview-you-dont-want-me-in-sweden-yeah-sure-i-dont-care