STOCKHOLM — Sweden’s migration minister has released a draft list of occupations that could be exempt from the government’s stricter salary requirements for foreign workers applying for work permits.
From June 2026, new work permit holders will normally need to earn at least 90% of Sweden’s median monthly salary — around SEK 33,390. However, the government may allow lower salaries for certain occupations facing labour shortages.
draft list of exempt occupations
The proposed exemptions include:
- Care assistants (vårdbiträden) and assistant nurses (undersköterskor)
- Childcare assistants and paediatric nursing assistants
- Truck drivers (lastbilsförare)
- Bricklayers (murare), concrete workers (betongarbetare), and roof installers (takmontörer)
- Security guards (väktare)
- Plumbers and heating installers (VVS-montörer)
- Welders (svetsare) and electricians (elektriker)
- Machine operators in the meat and fish industries
- Forestry workers
- Berry pickers and planters
- Butchers and meat cutters
- Primary and upper-secondary school teachers
- Engineers in logistics and production planning
- Laboratory engineers
- IT support staff and system administrators
- Environmental protection specialists
- Junior and other physicians
- Biomedical analysts and laboratory technicians
- Newly graduated students
- Employees at startups working in tech or life sciences
- Refugees from Ukraine under the Temporary Protection Directive (TPD)
The government says these occupations are considered essential to Sweden’s labour market despite many offering salaries below the new threshold.
hospitality sector misses out
Although parts of the tech industry appear to benefit from the exemptions, the hospitality sector has been left out.
Rumours that roles such as waiters could be included were not realised when the draft list was published.
Even exempt occupations will still need to meet a lower salary threshold of 75% of the median wage. There are concerns that some jobs on the list — particularly in the care sector — may still fail to meet that level.
Government officials say the exemptions are intended to address genuine labour shortages and ensure essential services can continue operating even when salaries fall below the standard minimum requirement.
The government is expected to review and update the exemption list annually.