If you’re a citizen of a E.U or E.E.A country you can work and live in Sweden freely for three months, after which time you will need to obtain a residence permit. Other citizens must apply for a residence and work permit at the Swedish embassy or consulate in their home country before their arrival in Sweden. Work contracts in Sweden may be for a pre-determined duration, or for an indefinite period of time. Generally speaking you can not be hired on a trial basis for longer than six months. Although verbal contracts are legally valid it is always better to have a written one where possible.

According to European law employers must provide employees with a written statement outlining the terms of their employment within the first month of starting the job. If possible, try to get a written contract or official employment statement from your employer before you actually move to take on the job. There is no minimum wage in Sweden. Most Swedish workers are unionised. Officially there is a 40-hour working weekin Sweden, although some employers offer shorter hours. The legal holiday period is a minimum of twenty-five working days per year, and the official retirement age is sixty-five for both men and women, although generally one can continue working to the age of sixty-seven if one wants to.

In the event that you fall ill and can’t go to work you should still be paid for up to two weeks of sick leave per year, although you won’t be paid at all for the first day you miss work. If you have been sick for more than two weeks and no longer receive sick pay from your employer you may be eligible for sickness benefits. You will normally need a doctor’s certificate if you need to miss work for more than a week.

In some fields of employment you may have to get your qualifications authorised or in some way certified in Sweden. To find out if this applies to your area of work consult the website of the Swedish National Agency for Higher Education :

• http://www.hsv.se

Or the Swedish National Reference Point for vocational qualifications :

• http://www.senrp.se

Swedish public holidays in 2008:

1 January Nyårsdagen (New Year's Day)
6 January Trettondedag jul (Epiphany)
21 March Långfredagen (Good Friday)
23 March Påskdagen (Easter Sunday)
24 March Annandag påsk (Easter Monday)
1 May Första maj (May Day) and Kristi himmelsfärds dag (Ascension Day)
11 May Pingstdagen (Whit Sunday)
6 June Sveriges nationaldag (National Day of Sweden)
21 June Midsommardagen (Midsummer Day)
1 November Alla helgons dag (All Saints Day)
25 December Juldagen (Christmas Day)
26 December Annandag jul (Boxing Day)

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