Employment rate in Sweden 2023, by age group

In Sweden, people between 35 and 54 years of age had the highest employment rate in 2023. 89 percent of the population in this age group was employed. The oldest age group, between 65 and 74, had the lowest employment rate at only 20 percent, followed by the youngest at 45 percent. The employment rate in Sweden increased steadily since the lowest point in 2010, but fell in 2020 after the outbreak of COVID-19.

Higher employment rate among men

The employment rate for men and women in Sweden basically follows the same pattern as the general employment rate. The difference, however, is that the employment rate among men was constantly higher than it was among women. In 2023, men’s employment was nearly 72 percent, whereas it was five percentage points lower for women.  

Types of employment

The majority of the people employed in Sweden are permanent employees, amounting to roughly 3.9 million in 2022. The private sector was by far the sector that employed the most people in the Scandinavian country.