The Swedish Public Employment Service forecasts unemployment will fall toward 6 percent next year. Recovery is proceeding slowly, with pre-recession levels not expected until the second half of 2027.
Currently 339,000 people, or 6.4 percent of the workforce, are registered as unemployed. The new forecast expects the figure to fall to an average of 328,000 or 6.1 percent during 2027.
Marcus Löwing, labor market analyst at the Swedish Public Employment Service, says recovery continues but slowly. The drivers behind more jobs are increased household consumption and increased housing construction.
Employers remain cautious. The construction industry and manufacturing show positivity in hiring plans, while the private services sector shows cautious optimism in hotels and restaurants. In the public sector, education expects fewer jobs due to shrinking child cohorts.
