Labour Force Surveys (LFS)
Upcoming publishing: 2026-05-07
The statistics describe labour market developments for the Swedish population aged 15–74. The LFS shows the number and percentage of employed and unemployed persons respectively, per month, quarter and year. In addition to this, some tables also include people aged 75–89 years.
Labour force surveys (LFS), previous definitions
Labour Force Surveys (LFS), previous definitions
2026-04-22: Information on breakdown by level of education and educational field
Due to discovered quality deficiencies in the LFS regarding breakdowns by level of education and educational field, number estimates including associated margin of error figures are marked with dots in Excel and statistical database tables. The dotted number estimates for level of education and educational field are made from 2012 onwards. The reason for the deficiencies is that the LFS overestimates people with post-secondary education and underestimates people with upper secondary education. Furthermore, it can be stated that the quality deficiencies are greater for number estimates than for share and change estimates.
2026-01-23: New tables for older people in the statistical database
Seven new tables on the labour market situation of older people, 65-89 years old, have been published in the statistical database. The tables contain data for employed people and employees, starting from 2021.
2025-10-17: New NEET tables from quarter 3 2025
Previously published tables of Young people not in employment and not in any education and training (NEET) in Excel and in the statistical database have been removed and replaced by new tables with a new structure in the statistical database. The content of the new tables is the same, with the addition that Annual change and Annual change margin of error are also reported.
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Key figures for Sweden
Labour force rate
75.9 %
Reference period: March 2026
0.8 %-unit
compared with the same period previous year
Unemployment rate
9.7 %
Reference period: March 2026
1.2 %-unit
compared with the same period previous year
Employment rate
68.5 %
Reference period: March 2026
-0.2 %-unit
compared with the same period previous year
Labour force rate (smoothed and seasonally adjusted)
76.0 %
Reference period: March 2026
Unemployment rate (smoothed and seasonally adjusted)
8.7 %
Reference period: March 2026
Employment rate (smoothed and seasonally adjusted)
69.4 %
Reference period: March 2026
Statistical news
2026-04-22
In March 2026, there were 5 230 000 employed people, not seasonally adjusted. Temporary employed women increased by 62 000 people to 376 000. The number of hours worked per week averaged 172.3 million. The number of unemployed people increased by 79 000 to 565 000, corresponding to an unemployment rate of 9.7 percent, an increase of 1.2 percentage points. Seasonally adjusted and smoothed data show an increase in both the number of employed people and in the employment rate. Both the number and the share of unemployed people decreased, seasonally adjusted and smoothed. The unemployment rate was 8.7 percent.
All statistical news for this statisticTables in the Statistical Database
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Simple URL: https://www.scb.se/am0401-en