The unemployment rate was unchanged compared to December, but lower than in November (8.8 percent) and lower than in January last year.
At the same time, the employment rate increased and, according to seasonally adjusted and smoothed data, stood at 69.3 percent, compared to 69.2 percent in the previous two months.
"In January, we see a positive development in the labor market and employment continues to increase," says Felicia Holm, statistician in the Labor Force Surveys unit at Statistics Sweden.
The agency writes in a press release that the decrease in unemployment from January last year is partly due to an unusually high estimate of unemployment in January 2025.
The Swedish Public Employment Service and Statistics Sweden report unemployment in Sweden every month. However, the statistics differ, often quite significantly, as a result of the authorities measuring in different ways.
The employment service uses those actually registered with the agency and also has a narrower age range. Total unemployment is measured in the age range 16-65 years. Youth unemployment refers to young people between 18 and 24 years.
Statistics Sweden (SCB) uses a sample survey. The age range is 15-74 years for total unemployment and 15-24 years for youth unemployment.
In Statistics Sweden's measurement method (which is based on international criteria), a large proportion of full-time students are also counted as young unemployed. It is often enough for a full-time student to want an extra job, or to wait for a summer job that will start later, to be counted as unemployed.
Source: Swedish Employment Service, Statistics Sweden
