Sweden 27 Exempt Occupations and Exact Requirements – Work Permit 2026
Sweden 27 Exempt Occupations and Exact Requirements
As an employer, it is important to know that the main rule for a work permit in Sweden now requires a salary of at least 90 percent of Sweden’s median salary (a floor of SEK 34,470). But for Sweden to manage the acute skills shortage in certain socially critical sectors, the government has designated 27 specific occupational groups that are exempted.
For these exempt occupations, it is sufficient that the salary reaches 75 percent of the median salary (SEK 28,725 per month).
The major pitfall for employers: It is not enough that the job title sounds right. To utilize the lower salary requirement, the candidate’s actual and daily duties must strictly match Statistics Sweden’s (SCB) definition for the correct SSYK code. Misclassification can lead to a rejection from Migrationsverket.
Below is the complete list and SCB’s official descriptions of what each role must actually entail.
💻 IT, Technology, and Laboratory
3115 Engineering professionals in chemistry and chemical engineering
Covers technical and practical work in connection with research, development, and production of chemical products, as well as the monitoring of chemical manufacturing processes.
3215 Life science technicians
Performs experiments, analysis, and control work at chemical and physical industrial or research laboratories. Controls, tests, and analyzes raw materials and products, and assists in the design of experiments.
3511 IT operations technicians
Manages the daily operation of information and communication systems, peripheral equipment, hardware, software, and other computer equipment to identify and prevent errors and operational disruptions.
3512 IT user support technicians
Provides technical support, user support, and practical problem-solving to internal or external users of software, computers, networks, and peripheral equipment.
3513 System administrators
Installs, configures, upgrades, and administers operating systems, applications, servers, and databases in complex IT infrastructures.
3514 Network and system technicians etc.
Designs, installs, configures, and troubleshoots networks, communication systems, and associated hardware and software.
🩺 Healthcare and Nursing
5321 Assistant nurses, home care, home nursing, and nursing homes
Provides individual care and nursing to the elderly in their own homes or special housing. Performs healthcare tasks following instruction and delegation, such as qualified wound care and catheter flushing.
5322 Assistant nurses, habilitation
Involves practical nursing, pedagogical support, and rehabilitative efforts for people with physical or intellectual disabilities.
5323 Assistant nurses, ward and specialist department
Works in close collaboration with licensed healthcare professionals in hospital wards, emergency clinics, and specialized healthcare facilities.
5324 Assistant nurses, outpatient care
Performs medical, practical, and administrative tasks at primary care centers, vaccination units, or specialist clinics.
5325 Childcare workers
Provides practical care, security, and pedagogical stimulation to children in preschools, schools, or specialized pediatric care.
5326 Ambulance nurses/paramedics
Participates in the prehospital acute care and transport of injured and sick people under the leadership of a licensed ambulance nurse.
5330 Healthcare assistants
Performs basic care and service tasks, personal hygiene, meal support, and cleaning under supervision in elderly care and home nursing.
🏭 Industry, Construction, and Maintenance
7212 Welders and flamecutters
Joining of metal parts using various welding methods (e.g., TIG, MIG/MAG) as well as thermal cutting of metals.
7215 Structural-metal preparers and erectors
Assembly and erection of heavy steel structures for buildings, bridges, or ships, as well as shaping and processing of heavy plate.
7233 Agricultural and industrial machinery mechanics and repairers
Preventive maintenance, troubleshooting, and mechanical repairs on machines, motors, and industrial equipment.
7413 Electrical line installers and repairers
Work with the construction, maintenance, repair, and operation of electricity distribution networks, overhead lines, underground cables, and transformer stations.
7611 Butchers, fishmongers, and related food preparers
Slaughter of animals and subsequent cutting, trimming, and preparation of meat and charcuterie products.
8161 Meat and fish processing machine operators
Monitoring and control of machines and processes for the industrial preparation, packaging, and preservation of meat and fish products.
8169 Other machine operators in the food industry, etc.
Mechanized manufacturing and preparation of dairy products, bakery products, beverages, or animal feed.
8199 Other process control technicians
Monitoring, regulation, and control of complex, often fully automated industrial production processes within e.g., the chemical industry, metallurgy, or energy production.
🌲 Forestry, Agriculture, and Animal Husbandry
6121 Livestock breeders and keepers
Daily care, feeding, milking, cleaning, and health monitoring of production animals in agriculture.
6129 Other animal breeders and keepers
Care and training of animals that do not belong to traditional production agriculture.
6130 Mixed crop and animal producers
Professionals on farms that combine large-scale crop production with animal husbandry.
6210 Forestry workers
Manual forestry work such as tree planting, clearing, thinning, and manual tree felling with a chainsaw.
8341 Drivers of agricultural and forestry machinery
Driving and maneuvering heavy mobile machinery in agriculture and forestry.
9210 Berry pickers and planters, etc.
Manual work with planting, weeding, and harvesting of berries, fruits, vegetables, and plants on farms and nurseries. (Important warning: Work permits for the specific occupation “forest berry picker” (wild berries) have been completely excluded from the legislation. The exemption for this code therefore exclusively covers other cultivation and farm-related roles).
Our 4 Best Pieces of Advice Regarding the Exempt Occupations for Recruiting HR/Employers
Navigating the exemption rules is a strategic process. As your advisors, we want to highlight four crucial points to always keep in mind.
1. The collective bargaining agreement is still the absolute floor
Even if the state says that 75 percent of the median salary is sufficient for the exempt occupations, the salary must always be on par with Swedish collective agreements or industry practice. If the collective agreement for, say, a distribution electrician requires a salary higher than SEK 28,725, it is the higher salary that must be paid.
2. The decision date is decisive – not the application date
When Migrationsverket processes your case, they base it on the exemption list that applies on the day they actually make the decision. The needs of the labor market fluctuate, and SCB occupational codes on the list may be updated.
3. Watch out when applying for extensions!
Do you have a foreign employee whose occupation is on the list today? When it is time to extend the permit in the future, you must double-check the list again. If the role has been removed from the list at the time you apply for an extension, the person will inevitably be assessed against the higher 90 percent requirement.
4. Do not forget the special exemptions that apply regardless of occupation
There are groups that are always exempt from the 90 percent requirement and are assessed against 75 percent of the median salary (SEK 28,725), regardless of the occupation they are hired for. This applies to:
Foreign students and researchers in Sweden applying for their first work permit.
Doctors, dentists, and nurses with a foreign degree who are working to obtain their Swedish license.
Employees at newly started tech or life science companies (the company must be under five years old and have fewer than 100 employees).
Individuals covered by the Temporary Protection Directive (for example, from Ukraine).
We recommend to also review this updated article about the recent changes in work permit regulations in Sweden in June 2026.
