Employments August 2026
Increase in the number of employments in August
Statistical news from Statistics Sweden 2026-10-29 8.00
The number of ongoing employments increased by 1.3 percent compared to August the previous year. During the same period, hours worked increased by 0.3 percent, amounting to 536 million hours. The proportion of sickness absence decreased by 0.1 percentage points to 1.5 percent. The total gross pay was 211 000 million SEK.
Ongoing employments
The number of ongoing employments increased in August 2026 by 1.3 percent compared to the same period the previous year, amounting to
5 602 000.
The number of employments lasting more than six months was
4 284 000 and the number of employments lasting six months or less was 1 318 000.
Percentage change compared to the same month in the previous year
Hours worked
The total number of hours worked amounted to 536 million, which was an increase of 0.3 percent compared to the same period the previous year.
Gross pay
The total gross pay amounted to 211 000 million SEK, which was an increase of 4.4 percent compared to the same period the previous year.
Proportion of sickness absence
The total proportion of sickness absence for August 2026 was 1.5 percent. For women, it was 1.7 percent, while for men it was 1.2 percent.
Ongoing employments, length of employment and flow in employments
| August 2026 | Change compared to the same period the previous year | Proportion of ongoing employments | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | Number | (%) | (%) | |
| Ongoing employments | 5 602 000 | 73 000 | 1.3 | 100.0 |
| Women | 2 743 000 | 37 000 | 1.4 | 49.0 |
| Men | 2 859 000 | 36 000 | 1.3 | 51.0 |
| Length of employments > 6 months | 4 284 000 | 44 000 | 1.0 | 76.5 |
| Women | 2 084 000 | 23 000 | 1.1 | 37.2 |
| Men | 2 200 000 | 20 000 | 0.9 | 39.3 |
| Length of employments <= 6 months | 1 318 000 | 30 000 | 2.3 | 23.5 |
| Women | 659 000 | 13 000 | 2.1 | 11.8 |
| Men | 659 000 | 16 000 | 2.5 | 11.8 |
| Started employments | 232 000 | 4 000 | 1.8 | 4.1 |
| Women | 115 000 | 3 000 | 2.4 | 2.1 |
| Men | 117 000 | 1 000 | 1.2 | 2.1 |
| Terminated employments | 371 000 | -4 000 | -1.0 | .. |
| Women | 191 000 | -2 000 | -0.9 | .. |
| Men | 180 000 | -2 000 | -1.1 | .. |
Proportion of sickness absence
| August 2026 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Proportion (%) | Change compared to the same period the previous year, percentage points | |
| Total | 1.5 | -0.1 |
| Women | 1.7 | -0.1 |
| Men | 1.2 | 0.0 |
| Business sector | 1.3 | -0.1 |
| Central government | 1.1 | -0.1 |
| Regions | 1.9 | 0.0 |
| Municipalities | 2.1 | -0.1 |
Definitions and explanations
Employments (ANST) consists of two parts. One part is register-based and is based on employer declarations at the individual level (PAYE) collected by the Swedish Tax Agency. The second part consists of the Sickness Absence during the Sick Pay Period (SuS), a sample survey where Statistics Sweden collects the data from employers.
The purpose of the register-based part is to depict the state of the labour market and its development over time. The statistics are used, among other things, for economic forecasts and are part of the European Union's labour market statistics.
The variable worked time is not entirely register-based; instead, it is derived from a model.
The purpose of SuS is to highlight sickness absence during the sick pay period, which is the first 14 days of sickness absence funded by the employer. The statistics are used for forecasts, analyses, and decision-making.
Comments
In Statistical Database all flows in employments are reported: new employments, resumed employments, interrupted employments and re-interrupted employment. Absolute changes compared with the same period of the previous year below 1,000 are reported as 0.