The number of registered unemployed people was 354,000 at the end of March, approximately 18,000 fewer than in March last year. As a share of the workforce, the figure is 6.6 percent (7.1 percent in March last year).
Seasonally adjusted and in terms of trend, the proportion is the lowest since December 2023, according to the Swedish Public Employment Service.
A worrying sign is that layoff notices were at a relatively high level in March - 5,700 people - and this applies across the entire economy.
"I would say it's quite widespread this month. It's in trade and in the fairly broad private services sector," says Marcus Löwing, analyst at Arbetsförmedlingen.
Even university graduates
What has stood out during the protracted recession, which risks being prolonged by the Iran war, is that unemployment has increased most among those with a university education.
More and more people entering the labor market, especially those with post-secondary education, have been competing for a reduced number of vacant jobs, says Marcus Löwing.
But even that curve has turned downward.
They are people who normally have a stronger position in the labor market and who will benefit more clearly when the demand for labor strengthens, says Löwing.
Even though we have also seen an increase in long-term unemployment among those with post-secondary education, he continues.
Hope for more job opportunities
As usual, the situation is most worrying for the long-term unemployed, who risk ending up further and further back in the queue.
It is important to support those who are far from the labor market by equipping them with educational initiatives, various types of internships and subsidized employment.
The latter type of efforts, such as start-up jobs, have declined steadily in recent years, statistics show.
It is, of course, something we really hope can be stepped up, as we know it can have a good effect, says Löwing.
