Government’s exemption list for labour-immigration wage rules tries to square chronic skill shortages with record unemployment—and risks re-opening the debate on who actually gets hired.
Stockholm – Sweden wants to raise the salary threshold for most work-permit applicants, but 152 occupations may be waved through anyway. A leaked annex to the government’s spring budget bill lists everything from berry pickers to brain surgeons as “shortage-critical” and therefore eligible for an exemption. If passed, the carve-out could keep fruit in the freezer aisles and hospital corridors staffed—yet it also highlights a painful paradox: thousands of Swedish PhDs, many of them foreign-born, remain jobless at home.
The 152 exempt professions
(official Swedish title first, plain-English gloss in brackets)
- 1. Agronom – agronomist
- 2. Arborist – tree surgeon
- 3. Apotekare – pharmacist
- 4. Arbetsterapeut – occupational therapist
- 5. Audionom – audiologist
- 6. Barnmorska – midwife
- 7. Barnskötare – child-care worker
- 8. Behörig lärare i förskoleklass – qualified pre-school teacher
- 9. Behörig lärare i grundskolan – primary-school teacher
- 10. Behörig lärare i gymnasiet – upper-secondary teacher
- 11. Biomedicinsk analytiker – biomedical analyst
- 12. Biträdande rektor – assistant principal
- 13. Brandman – firefighter
- 14. Brandinspektör – fire-safety inspector
- 15. Bussförare – bus driver
- 16. Byggnadsingenjör – construction engineer
- 17. Byggnadsmålare – building painter
- 18. Byggnadssnickare – carpenter
- 19. Bärplockare – berry picker
- 20. Chaufför, lastbil – lorry driver
- 21. Chaufför, taxi – taxi driver
- 22. Civilingenjör, bioteknik – biotech engineer
- 23. Civilingenjör, datateknik – computer engineer
- 24. Civilingenjör, elektroteknik – electrical engineer
- 25. Civilingenjör, maskinteknik – mechanical engineer
- 26. Civilingenjör, väg- och vatten – civil engineer
- 27. CNC-operatör – CNC machinist
- 28. Dataingenjör – data engineer
- 29. Datatekniker – IT technician
- 30. Djurkommunikatör – animal handler/trainer
- 31. Djursjukskötare – veterinary nurse
- 32. Doktorand – PhD candidate
- 33. Drifttekniker, el – power-plant technician
- 34. Ekonom – economist
- 35. Elektriker – electrician
- 36. Elektroingenjör – electronics engineer
- 37. Elektronikreparatör – electronics repairer
- 38. Elevassistent – classroom aide
- 39. Energispecialist – energy specialist
- 40. Fastighetsskötare – property caretaker
- 41. Fastighetstekniker – building-services engineer
- 42. Finansanalytiker – financial analyst
- 43. Fiskodlare – fish farmer
- 44. Flygtekniker – aircraft mechanic
- 45. Forskare – researcher
- 46. Fotograf – photographer
- 47. Frisör – hairdresser
- 48. Fritidspedagog – after-school pedagogue
- 49. Förskollärare – pre-school teacher
- 50. Försäljare – sales agent
- 51. Försäkringsrådgivare – insurance advisor
- 52. Golvläggare – floor-layer
- 53. Grafisk formgivare – graphic designer
- 54. Grundskollärare – primary teacher (grades 1–9)
- 55. Grynnfiskare – coastal fisherman
- 56. Gymnasielärare – upper-secondary teacher
- 57. Gynekolog – gynaecologist
- 58. Hälso- och sjukvårdsadministratör – health-care administrator
- 59. Hemtjänstpersonal – home-care aide
- 60. Hotellreceptionist – hotel receptionist
- 61. Hudterapeut – skin therapist
- 62. Hudläkare – dermatologist
- 63. IT-arkitekt – IT architect
- 64. IT-konsult – IT consultant
- 65. Industrimekaniker – industrial mechanic
- 66. Inköpare – buyer/procurement officer
- 67. Intensivvårdssjuksköterska – ICU nurse
- 68. Inredare – interior decorator
- 69. Ingenjör, kemiteknik – chemical engineer
- 70. Ingenjör, logistik – logistics engineer
- 71. Ingenjör, miljöteknik – environmental engineer
- 72. Ingenjör, produktion – production engineer
- 73. Ingenjör, telekom – telecom engineer
- 74. Ingenjör, trafik – traffic engineer
- 75. Innesäljare – inside-sales rep
- 76. Jordbrukare – farmer
- 77. Journalist – journalist
- 78. Kiropraktor – chiropractor
- 79. Kirurg – surgeon
- 80. Kock – cook/chef
- 81. Kommunikatör – communications officer
- 82. Konstnär – artist
- 83. Kulturproducent – cultural producer
- 84. Kundtjänstmedarbetare – customer-service agent
- 85. Kyrkogårdsarbetare – cemetery worker
- 86. Laborant – lab technician
- 87. Lantbrukstekniker – farm-equipment technician
- 88. Lastbilsmekaniker – truck mechanic
- 89. Lärarassistent – teacher’s aide
- 90. Logoped – speech therapist
- 91. Lönekonsult – payroll consultant
- 92. Läkare – physician
- 93. Läkarsekreterare – medical secretary
- 94. Maskinoperatör – machine operator
- 95. Maskinförare, grävmaskin – excavator driver
- 96. Mekaniker – mechanic
- 97. Mjukvaruutvecklare – software developer
- 98. Mjukvarutestare – software tester
- 99. Modersmålslärare – mother-tongue teacher
- 100. Musikpedagog – music teacher
- 101. Målare – painter (decorative)
- 102. Naprapat – naprapath
- 103. Nätverkstekniker – network technician
- 104. Ortopedingenjör – orthopaedic engineer
- 105. Ortopedtekniker – orthopaedic technician
- 106. Pedagog – educator (general)
- 107. Personlig assistent – personal assistant
- 108. Platschef, bygg – construction-site manager
- 109. Plattsättare – tile-layer
- 110. Polis – police officer
- 111. Projektingenjör – project engineer
- 112. Projektledare – project manager
- 113. Psykolog – psychologist
- 114. Psykoterapeut – psychotherapist
- 115. Receptarie – pharmacy technician
- 116. Redovisningsekonom – accountant
- 117. Regionchef – regional manager
- 118. Rektor – school principal
- 119. Restaurangbiträde – restaurant assistant
- 120. Samhällsplanerare – urban planner
- 121. Sjuksköterska – registered nurse
- 122. Skogsmaskinförare – forestry-machine operator
- 123. Skogsplanterare – tree planter
- 124. Skolsköterska – school nurse
- 125. Socialsekreterare – social-services officer
- 126. Socionom – social worker
- 127. Speciallärare – special-needs teacher
- 128. Speciallärare i svenska som andraspråk – Swedish-as-second-language teacher
- 129. Språkgranskare – copy-editor/translator
- 130. Statistiker – statistician
- 131. Städare – cleaner
- 132. Studie- och yrkesvägledare – study-and-career counsellor
- 133. Supporttekniker – support technician
- 134. Säkerhetskoordinator – safety coordinator
- 135. Säljare – sales representative
- 136. Säljare, fackhandel – specialist retail salesperson
- 137. Systemutvecklare – systems developer
- 138. Teaterproducent – theatre producer
- 139. Teknikinformatör – technical writer
- 140. Trafikflygare – airline pilot
- 141. Transportledare – transport coordinator
- 142. Trädgårdsingenjör – horticultural engineer
- 143. Trädgårdsmästare – gardener
- 144. Undersköterska – nursing assistant
- 145. VVS-montör – plumber/HVAC installer
- 146. Veterinär – veterinarian
- 147. Webbutvecklare – web developer
- 148. Yrkesförare – professional driver
- 149. Yrkeslärare – vocational teacher
- 150. Ämneslärare – subject teacher
- 151. Ögonsjuksköterska – ophthalmic nurse
- 152. Översättare – translator
The policy dilemma
The exemption list is the government’s attempt to square a circle. Sweden’s unemployment rate hovers around 8 %, yet the Public Employment Service lists 140 000 vacancies. The mismatch is sharpest for low-skill and seasonal jobs—berry pickers and cleaners—and for high-skill niches such as intensive-care nurses and software engineers.
Migration Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard calls the proposal “a surgical intervention that protects Swedish wages without starving critical sectors.” Critics counter that the 152-job loophole will simply legalise the status quo: employers can continue to import labour for positions that domestic job-seekers, especially foreign-born graduates, are already qualified to fill but cannot access.
Brain drain at both ends
The irony is not lost on groups like Jobbsprånget (“Job Leap”), a state-funded internship program for highly educated immigrants. “We have PhDs in industrial economics working as food-delivery drivers,” says project manager Daniel Granqvist. “Meanwhile the same profile is offered a fast-track work permit if they arrive from abroad with a signed contract.”
Recent figures from Statistics Sweden show that emigration of doctoral graduates rose 14 % last year, driven by what researchers call “blocked mobility” rather than lack of demand. An internal Chalmers University study found that applicants with non-European names were 40 % less likely to reach the interview stage for engineering roles, even when controlling for language skills and publication record.
What happens next
The proposal is now in a four-week consultation round. The Confederation of Swedish Enterprise wants the list expanded to 200 jobs; the Swedish Trade Union Confederation wants it scrapped altogether, arguing that training and anti-discrimination measures should come first. A vote in the Riksdag is expected in early autumn, just as berry season—and the annual headlines about “thousands of unfilled berry-picking jobs”—peaks again.
For now, Sweden’s immigration policy looks less like a wall and more like a sieve: 152 carefully cut holes, each one an admission that the labour market, like the berry fields, is still full of thorns.