Sweden's labor market is finally showing signs of a recovery as the national economy begins to trend upward. According to recent data from Jobbsafari, one of the country's leading private job boards, the market is experiencing a notable shift, with recruitment activity in traditional blue-collar sectors leading the way while white-collar roles continue to struggle.
In September, the total number of job advertisements in Sweden rose by 1.7 percent compared to the same month last year. More significantly, the number of employers actively seeking new staff grew by 3.8 percent. Construction and civil engineering have emerged as the primary engines of this growth, recording a 22 percent increase in job advertisements and a 15.8 percent surge in the number of companies hiring within these fields.
Anita Rae, head of the labour market division at Jobbsafari, characterized these developments as a potential turning point for the Swedish economy. She noted that after three years of declining job postings—a period defined by high inflation, rising interest rates, international trade tariffs, and the repercussions of conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East—the market is finally stabilizing. This recovery trend has been consistently observed since May 2026. Rae emphasized that the strength of the construction sector often serves as a bellwether for other industries, suggesting that these are very positive signs for the broader labor market.
Beyond construction, the hospitality and service sector also saw a rebound, with job listings increasing by nearly 15 percent in September compared to the same month in 2025. However, when looking at the year-to-date figures from January through September, the hospitality sector remains 2.4 percent lower than the previous year. Similarly, the transport, warehousing, and logistics sector grew by 12 percent in September and continues to maintain positive growth for the year.
In contrast, other sectors are experiencing a decline. Healthcare, which remains the largest occupational category, saw a 1.8 percent dip in listings during September. Meanwhile, white-collar roles are facing a weaker trend overall. Sales and retail listings fell by 13.9 percent in September, with a 16.6 percent decline year-to-date. Positions in IT, tech, finance, administration, and office work are also trending downward for both the month and the year as a whole.
"Now we can perhaps dare to say that the long decline we've been tracking in our data has been broken," she told the TT news agency.
