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This study examines the geographical mobility of physicians who obtained specialist certification in Sweden between 2020 and 2022. Using register data from Statistics Sweden and the National Board of Health and Welfare, it follows physicians from the time they received their medical licence until specialist certification, and for up to two years thereafter. The analysis compares mobility patterns across educational backgrounds, specialty areas, and geographical levels, including municipalities, counties, and healthcare regions.

The results show that workplace moves are most common between municipalities, while moves between counties and especially healthcare regions are considerably less frequent. Differences between physicians with Swedish and foreign educational backgrounds and between specialty areas are generally small. After obtaining specialist certification, geographical mobility declines, indicating that many physicians become more permanently established within a workplace or region. The limited movement between healthcare regions suggests that the labour market for specialist physicians is strongly regionally anchored.

Comparisons with the wider labour market show that specialist physicians change jobs at a rate similar to that of other employees in the health and social care sector and broadly in line with levels observed among employed individuals overall. The findings suggest that specialist certification represents a stabilising milestone in physicians’ careers. As many physicians remain within the same healthcare region after completing their specialist training, the availability of specialist training posts plays an important role in shaping the future supply of specialist expertise. The results also indicate that workforce planning can be effectively managed at the healthcare-region level to meet future staffing needs.