He has previously worked at the Swedish National Institute of Economic Research and was an investigative secretary to the Swedish Central Bank Committee, the Swedish Central Bank says.
The name surprises some of the major banks' chief economists.
It was surprising, but when the announcement came it was also obvious. He is a person who is deeply involved in the issues that the Swedish Central Bank will make decisions on, says Danske Bank's chief economist Susanne Spector.
Dove-or-hawk side
The assessors have a hard time saying whether he is a dove or a hawk.
"I don't have a good idea of what he thinks about monetary policy. In his role on the Fiscal Policy Council, he has been relatively sparing with comments on monetary policy," says Spector.
Jens Magnusson agrees:
I know the name, but I know very little about his monetary policy stance.
But if anything, his previous statements point somewhat in a dovish direction, with Hjelm's focus on the labor market and high unemployment, SEB economists say.
Next meeting March 18
At the Swedish Central Bank's next interest rate meeting on March 18, Göran Hjelm will have to declare his position - whether he is dovish and wants to lower the interest rate or leans more hawkish and favors a higher rate.
Göran Hjelm, with a doctorate from Lund University, succeeds former First Deputy Governor Anna Breman, who left the Executive Board to become Governor of the Central Bank of New Zealand on December 1, 2025.
The five members of the Swedish Central Bank Executive Board meet regularly to set the policy rate. The task is to use the interest rate to ensure that inflation is stable around the target of two percent. The members of the Executive Board also have overall responsibility for measures that promote financial stability and an efficient payment system.
