In February, just under 27,500 people applied for unemployment benefits for the first time. This was a decrease of around 18 percent compared to January this year and around 16 percent compared to February 2025.
According to Sweden's unemployment funds, the decrease is expected; the increases in December and January were seasonal. During the autumn, the trend for new applications was declining.
"Our assessment is that the number of new applications will continue to decrease during the spring, as unemployment among members of unemployment funds also slowly declines," writes Johan Ahlgren, head of communications at Sweden's unemployment funds, in a press release.
