Work

Here you will find information about work in Sweden.

Work

You need a coordination number

You do not have the right to register yourself in Sweden when you have been granted a permit according to the Temporary Protection Directive and since you do not have the right to register you will not receive a Swedish personal identity number. However, you can get a coordination number.

You need a coordination number to register as a job seeker with the Swedish Public Employment Service, open a bank account in Sweden and to pay taxes if you work.

We will request a coordination number for you if you have

received a decision on a residence permit with protection under the Temporary Protection Directive
presented identity documents (such as a national passport, an alien’s passport, a travel document or a Ukrainian domestic passport) in connection with your application
been fingerprinted and photographed for your residence permit card
an address where you live that is not very short term.

The Swedish Tax Agency will decide if you should receive a coordination number and send it to you. In order for the Swedish Tax Agency to be able to send you the coordination number by letter, we give them the address that you have given us.

Get a bank account

A bank account is usually needed if you work, because an employer cannot deposit your salary on the bank card you have received from the Swedish Migration Agency. You normally have the right to open a bank account in Sweden, but some conditions need to be met.

If you find a job

If you find a job, an employment contract should be drawn up between you and the employer stating what salary you receive. You and the employer should notify the Swedish Migration Agency when you start work.

Film tip from the Swedish Public Employment Service

See the films from the Swedish Public Employment Service (in Ukrainian) External link, opens in new window.

Benefit fraud

You are obliged to notify the Swedish Migration Agency that you have received an income since you will no longer be entitled to the corresponding daily allowance. If you do not notify the Swedish Migration Agency of your own income, you may be reported for benefit fraud, which is punishable by law.

Labour market – equal participation in the labour market

In order to contribute financially to society, a job and an income is required, and in order for as many people as possible, whatever the conditions, to contribute, Sweden is constantly working to increase diversity on the labour market based on gender perspective, age, class, disability, sexual orientation and ethnic background.

Through diversity on the labour market, society and the labour market can benefit from the many experiences and skills that individuals have.

Sweden predicts an increasing labour shortage so if more people, regardless of conditions and background, can participate in the labour market, it will lead to an addition to the workforce which in turn generates tax revenue to society.

All people who have the opportunity to establish themselves and develop on the labour market become largely self-sufficient; it gives a person both confidence and the feeling of being independent and self-sufficient is a characteristic that is highly valued in Sweden.

It is important to know that there are unreliable entrepreneurs, who are happy to profit from people coming from other countries — people who do not know what Swedish labour law are like. It is important not to be deceived into working under the table, that is, to work without the employer paying taxes to the Swedish Tax Agency. Of course, it is also important to receive a reasonable salary for the work you do.