The labour market is hardly booming in the big cities of Malmö and Stockholm, according to a quarterly report from the Swedish Public Employment Service, which shows the situation municipality by municipality.
In one year, unemployment has dropped from 6.9 to 6.4 per cent, the lowest level since 2023, according to the Swedish Public Employment Service's figures for the second quarter.
Faded away
"However, during the spring the recovery has slowed down and unemployment remains at an elevated level," the authority writes.
Unemployment has decreased in all counties over the past year, but the differences across the country are large. And it is happening more slowly in some regions.
"However, Stockholm, Västra Götaland, Uppsala and Västerbotten are still above 2023 levels and, according to the Swedish Public Employment Service's regional forecast, are expected to reach similar levels only in 2027," says Evelina Sundin, labour market analyst at the Swedish Public Employment Service, in a comment.
The lowest unemployment rates are in the mining towns of Gällivare and Kiruna, 2.0 and 2.3 per cent respectively. The highest unemployment rates are in the Skåne municipalities of Perstorp (13.0 per cent) and Malmö (11.3 per cent).
Highest in Skåne
In Stockholm County, unemployment is 6.8 per cent. The highest rate at county level is in Skåne at 8.4 per cent. The lowest is in Norrbotten, at 3.5 per cent.
The number of newly registered vacancies at the country's employment agencies is lower than during the corresponding period last year. As usual, the largest number of new jobs are in healthcare. Employers need assistant nurses, staff for home care and nursing homes. There are also relatively many vacancies for teachers, truck drivers and warehouse staff, according to Arbetsförmedlingen's statistics.
