Starting a job in Sweden: get the employment terms in writing
An oral agreement can be valid. Employers still have to provide written information about the job, pay and other terms.
Your employer must give you written information about the terms of your job. An oral employment agreement can still be valid.
This guide is for people starting work in Sweden. It explains which details belong in writing and when the ordinary deadlines fall.
Does the contract have to be signed on paper?
An employment agreement (anställningsavtal) can be oral, according to Verksamt’s guidance on employment contracts.
A written agreement can bring those details together. Verksamt recommends drawing one up when someone is hired, rather than leaving the terms as an oral agreement.
The distinction matters. A valid oral agreement does not remove the employer’s duty to provide written information.
What should the written information cover?
The information must identify the employer and employee, the start date and the workplace. It must describe the work and job title.
The employer must also state the form of employment. For a fixed-term job, that includes the end date or conditions for ending it. For a probationary job, the probation period must be stated.
Pay information includes the starting salary and other pay benefits. The employer must say how often and how the salary will be paid.
Working-time information includes the normal working day or week. It also covers overtime arrangements and pay for that work, where applicable. Rules about notice of working hours belong in the information too.
When must the employer provide it?
Section 6c of the Employment Protection Act sets different deadlines for different details.
Core information must arrive as soon as possible, no later than seven calendar days after work starts. That includes the job, pay and normal working hours.
Certain other details can follow within one month. These include paid holiday, rules for ending employment and any applicable collective agreement.
For special fixed-term employment (särskild visstidsanställning), the information identifying that arrangement must be given when the employment agreement is made. The seven-day deadline does not replace this earlier duty.
Does hourly pay mean a temporary job?
Hourly pay describes how you are paid. It is not a separate form of employment, Verksamt explains. The job itself must be permanent or fixed-term.
Part-time work can also be either permanent or fixed-term. Hours and duration are separate parts of the agreement.
What can a collective agreement change?
A collective agreement (kollektivavtal) can set employment terms alongside your individual agreement. Verksamt says employers bound by one must take its provisions into account.
Working-time rules also cover rest and breaks, not just the hours written in your contract. Employers must keep records of on-call time, overtime and additional hours, according to Verksamt’s working-time guidance.
The Swedish Work Environment Authority (Arbetsmiljöverket) explains that collective agreements can replace some or all of the Working Hours Act. European minimum rules still apply.
Where to get help
Arbetsmiljöverket’s working-time page explains its supervisory role. The authority does not supervise collective agreements. Its guidance directs questions about their content to unions and employer organisations.
