The salary threshold for a Swedish work permit changed twice in 2026, and which list an occupation sits on decides which threshold applies. Many readers cannot tell whether their occupation clears the standard 90 percent threshold, the reduced 75 percent tier, or neither.
This guide states the specific list, the specific numbers, and the specific dates, sourced to Migrationsverket and Arbetsförmedlingen.
What the Salary Threshold Is, and Who It Applies To
A Swedish work permit requires a monthly salary of at least 90 percent of the national median, SEK 34,470, for decisions made on or after 1 June 2026.
The figure is calculated from Statistics Sweden's median salary and checked at the time of application, per Migrationsverket. The current SEK 34,470 amount has been in force since Migrationsverket's 16 June 2026 uprating. It applies to first-time applicants and to extensions decided on or after 1 June 2026, subject to the transition rule covered later in this guide. An offer paying less than SEK 34,470 a month does not meet the standard threshold, regardless of the occupation's title on the contract. Clearing the threshold on paper is not the same as affording the move; see what the first months in Sweden actually cost for the budget that salary needs to support.
The 75 Percent Tier: Which Occupations Qualify
Around twenty occupational groups need only 75 percent of the median, SEK 28,725 a month, instead of 90 percent.
Migrationsverket published this exempted-occupation list on 25 May 2026, alongside the wider salary-threshold change, per Migrationsverket. The exempt categories include IT operations and support technicians, systems administrators, and network technicians; chemical and laboratory engineers; and healthcare assistants working in home care, elderly care, habilitation, and ambulance services. The list also covers childcare assistants, agricultural and forestry roles, welders and industrial technicians, and food processing operators. An employer offering SEK 28,725 a month or more for a role in one of these categories clears the threshold. The same salary would fail the standard 90 percent test for a role outside the list.
Some secondary sources cite "152" occupations against Migrationsverket's own wording of "around twenty occupational groups." That discrepancy remains unresolved as of this writing. The binding count sits in the underlying ordinance text, not in either agency's news article. A reader checking a specific occupation should confirm it against the primary legal source described later in this guide, rather than against either number stated here.
Occupations Excluded From Work Permits Entirely
Since 1 June 2026, personal assistants and forest berry pickers cannot get a Swedish work permit at all.
Migrationsverket's 25 May 2026 announcement set this exclusion alongside the exemption list, per Migrationsverket. The personal-assistant and forest-berry-picker categories were removed from work permit eligibility from 1 June 2026, with a narrower additional group of exemptions taking effect 11 June 2026. A reader already working in either excluded role on an existing permit is not automatically stripped of status by this change. A new application or a fresh permit in that occupation is no longer possible, though. The exclusion does not extend to every form of berry picking; only the specific forest-berry-picking category named in the ordinance is affected.
What Arbetsförmedlingen's Shortage List Actually Measures
Arbetsförmedlingen's bristyrken list is a labor-market forecast, not a salary-exemption list, and the two lists overlap only partially.
Arbetsförmedlingen published its most recent version, covering spring 2025 forecasts for 2025–2026, on 26 June 2025, per Arbetsförmedlingen. It names occupations including nurses, specialist nurses, software and systems developers, IT architects and systems analysts, electricians, teachers, engineers, plumbing installers, truck drivers, and chefs, as sectors where job-seekers face the best chances. Being named on Arbetsförmedlingen's forecast signals strong hiring demand. It says nothing about which salary threshold a work permit application for that role must clear.
Several of these occupations do not appear on Migrationsverket's exemption list at all, and a work permit for them needs the full 90 percent threshold, not 75 percent. A reader confusing the two lists risks assuming a lower threshold applies when it does not.
| Occupation | On Migrationsverket's 75% exemption list? | On Arbetsförmedlingen's shortage forecast? |
|---|
| IT operations and support technicians | Yes | Not named |
| Healthcare assistants (home care, elderly care, habilitation, ambulance) | Yes | Not named |
| Nurses and specialist nurses | No | Yes |
| Teachers | No | Yes |
| IT architects and systems analysts | No | Yes |
| Software and systems developers | No | Yes |
| Electricians | No | Yes |
"Not named" means the occupation does not appear on that specific list, per the two sources cited in this guide; it does not mean the occupation is barred from a work permit.
Sectors Driving Demand, by Geography
Shortages are broad-based but concentrated in healthcare, IT, and skilled trades, and are sharper in northern Sweden.
Arbetsförmedlingen's forecast notes that shortages are particularly pronounced in northern Sweden, naming Norrbotten specifically, per Arbetsförmedlingen. A reader weighing where in Sweden to target a job search should treat geography as a secondary filter. Settle the salary-threshold and exemption-list questions first. Clearing the threshold and finding a listed shortage occupation are still only two of the conditions a hiring process checks; see how Swedish hiring actually works for the rest.
If Your Permit Was Granted Before 1 June 2026
Extensions filed between 1 June and 1 December 2026, for permits granted before 1 June 2026, still use the previous 80 percent threshold.
Migrationsverket's 1 June 2026 announcement of the new rules coming into force sets this six-month transition window explicitly, per Migrationsverket. After 1 December 2026, the 90 percent threshold applies to every decision, including extensions on permits originally granted before 1 June 2026. A reader planning an extension inside the transition window should confirm the exact filing date against the permit's original grant date. The two dates decide which threshold rate applies, not the extension's decision date alone.
How to Check Whether Your Occupation Qualifies, Before You Apply
The binding list sits in the Aliens Ordinance, not in either agency's news article; check the ordinance text or Migrationsverket's case-specific guidance before assuming.
Migrationsverket's own news pages summarize the rule change; the legal basis is the Aliens Ordinance amendments read together with the Aliens Act, Chapter 6, Section 2, per Migrationsverket. A news summary can lag or simplify an ordinance text, so the ordinance itself remains the source that governs an individual case. For the application mechanics this guide does not repeat, see the standard work permit application.
Checklist: before you assume your offer clears the threshold
- Confirm the occupation title on your job offer against Migrationsverket's exempted-occupation categories, not against Arbetsförmedlingen's shortage list.
- Confirm whether your decision date falls before or after 1 June 2026, and, if you are extending, before or after 1 December 2026.
- Confirm your contracted monthly salary in SEK against the threshold current at your application date, since the median is republished each June.
- Confirm your role is not on the excluded list: personal assistant or forest berry picker.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Sweden's work permit salary threshold as of August 2026?
SEK 34,470 a month, 90 percent of the national median, for decisions on or after 1 June 2026, per Migrationsverket.
Which jobs qualify for the lower 75 percent threshold?
Around twenty occupational groups qualify, including IT operations and support roles, healthcare assistants, and several skilled trades, per Migrationsverket's 25 May 2026 announcement.
Is Arbetsförmedlingen's shortage list the same as Migrationsverket's exemption list?
No. Arbetsförmedlingen's list is a labor-market forecast that names occupations such as nurses, teachers, and IT architects; Migrationsverket's list is the narrower set that lowers the salary requirement for a work permit.
Can I still get a work permit as a personal assistant?
No. Since 1 June 2026, personal assistants can no longer get a Swedish work permit, per Migrationsverket.
Two Different Lists Decide Sweden's Work Permit Exemptions and Its Job Shortages, August 2026
Two different lists answer two different questions. Migrationsverket's exemption list decides which occupations clear a work permit at 75 percent of the median salary instead of 90 percent. Arbetsförmedlingen's forecast decides where job-seekers face the best chances, without changing any salary threshold. The salary math itself changes on two dates in 2026, not one. 1 June brought the new rates; 1 December ends the transition window on pre-June permits. The excluded roles, personal assistant and forest berry picker, are narrow but absolute.
Check the specific occupation and date against Migrationsverket's own case guidance before relying on a forecast list, and read Sweden Unpacked's permits guide for how to apply once the occupation is confirmed. For the wider job search, see the guide to finding work in Sweden, and once employed, work rights and a-kassa cover what comes next.
