Get a global view of employer hiring plans from 42 major countries. Used internationally as a bellwether of labor market trends, the Net Employment Outlook – calculated by subtracting the percentage of employers who anticipate reductions to staffing levels from those who plan to hire – now stands at 25%.

The labour market is recovering in some part of Sweden

• Swedish employers report a stable employment forecast of +17 percent for the first quarter of 2025, which is the most optimistic forecast in a year. But the regional differences are large - faith in the future is strong in Götaland, while the labor market in Central Sweden is completely stagnant.

• Swedish employers predict a certain increase in the demand for labor before the first quarter of 2025. Despite the continued high unemployment, the Swedish employment forecast stands at +17 percent, which is the highest figure in a year. This is evident from ManpowerGroup's Labor Market Barometer, which has surveyed over 40,000 employers in 41 countries, of which 788 are in Sweden.
• Although the Swedish labor market shows optimism, the pace of recovery is modest from a global perspective. The European average is +19 percent, with job forecasts of +27 percent in Norway and +22 percent in Finland. However, Europe is lagging behind the pace of recruitment in the rest of the world. The tone is most positive in North America, with a robust job forecast of +32 percent, followed by Asia at +27 percent and South and Central America at +23 percent.

Strongest job forecasts in Europe 

• The Netherlands (+29%)
• Switzerland (+29%)
• Belgium (+28%)
• Great Britain (+28%)
• Norway (+27%).

Swedish industry forecasts

• The banking, finance and real estate industries, +43%
• Health, healthcare and Life Sciences, +26%
• The service industry and the wholesale and retail trade, +24%
• The IT industry, +23%
• Raw materials, green industries, construction and service companies, the defense industry, +18%
• The telecom and media industries, +11%
• Transport, logistics and the automotive industry, +2%
• Energy and community service, 0%

Industries with the Strongest Job Forecasts

• The banking, finance and real estate industries, +43%
• Health, healthcare and Life Sciences, +26%
• The service industry and the wholesale and retail trade, +24%
• The IT industry, +23%

The regions' employment forecasts

• Östra Götaland, +24%
• Västra Götaland, +21%
• Northern Sweden, +17%
• The Stockholm and Uppsala region, +11%
• Central Sweden (Södermanland, Västmanland, Värmland and Örebro counties), +5%
• Skåne and Blekinge counties, +2%

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