Number of employed people in Sweden 2001-2022

The number of employed people in Sweden increased annually after the financial crisis in 2009 until the outbreak of COVID-19. In 2022, nearly 5.2 million of the total population of 10.5 million people were employed. The increase in the number of employees over the past 10 years is partly related to the increase of the working age population that occurred during the same period.

The employment rate

Furthermore, the employment rate in Sweden followed the same pattern as the number of employed people. The employment rate was at its lowest in 2010, when it was 64.4 percent, which was a consequence of the financial crisis in 2008 and 2009. The employment rate also experienced a drop in 2020 due to the effects of the corona crisis (COVID-19).  

Different employment rates for men and women

Employment rates in Sweden are high among both men and women, but are still lower among the latter. In 2022, the rate was nearly 72 percent among men, whereas it was 66 percent among women. Moreover, the drop was by 1.6 percentage points among women in 2020 after the outbreak of COVID-19, but only 0.7 percentage points among men.