The number of new work permits issued in Sweden for high-skilled workers (requiring university-level education) has declined substantially. In 2024, 11,278 permits were issued, a decrease of 2,803 compared to 2023 and 4,336 compared to 2022. This trend continues even when considering only permits for advanced university-level education.
The number of work permit renewals for high-skilled workers has also fallen. Only 18,515 permits were renewed in 2024, a decrease of 2,260 compared to 2023.
Despite the absolute decrease in high-skilled worker permits, their proportion of total work permits awarded increased from 68% in 2023 to 84% in 2024 and further to 87% in the first two months of 2025. This is largely due to an even sharper decline in low-skilled worker permits.
Sweden's Migration Minister says he wants to reduce asylum-related immigration at the same time as "attracting more foreign experts, researchers and talent to strengthen Swedish competitiveness". So how's the government doing?
How many high-skilled workers are coming to Sweden?
Sweden gave out 11,278 new work permits for jobs requiring a university level or advanced university level education in 2024.
That is 2,803 fewer than in 2023 and 4,336 fewer than in 2022, the year towards the end of which government came into power. It is even 2,240 below the number awarded under the Social Democrats in 2021, when Sweden was still emerging from the Covid-19 pandemic.
READ ALSO: 'We are working intensively to attract more high-skilled workers to Sweden'
It is a similar story when you strip out work permits awarded for jobs requiring an advanced university education. There were over 3,000 fewer permits awarded last year than in the year the government took power.
READ ALSO: Record number of foreigners quit Sweden to move to Germany
What about keeping high-skilled workers in Sweden?
The number of work permits being renewed has also been in decline.
Only 18,515 high-skilled worker renewed a work permit in 2024, 2,260 fewer than did so in 2023. In 2022, only 10,750 work permits for high-skilled workers were renewed, a knock-on effect of the sharp drop in first-time awards during the main pandemic year.
READ ALSO: How to get a Swedish work permit faster: Inside tips from Migration Agency staff
The proportion of work permits going to high-skilled workers has increased
As a proportion of total work permits awarded, however, the share high-skilled workers took of the total permits awarded rose in 2024 from 68 percent to 84 percent, as a result of an even sharper fall in the number of low-skilled workers coming to Sweden.
In the first two months of 2025, the share of permits taken by high-skilled workers has risen still higher to 87 percent.
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