Salary requirements you should look out for
Lately, there has been a lot of changes and updates to the salary requirements of Swedish migration politics. November 1st of 2023, a new salary threshold was presented and since then the Swedish Migration Agency have been working to flag any issues with the salaries for work permit applications (read our separate blog post about it here for more details!). The new maintenance requirement is currently at 27 360 kr base salary a month, which correlates to 80% of the Swedish median salary. However, if you think you can set this salary for your international employee and be all set, you might be wrong. Let’s dive into some specific requirements regarding salary!
Salary minimums based on SSYK-code
Yes- the absolute minimum salary to offer your employee should always be the maintenance requirement at 27 360 SEK but for each job position there is another minimum salary you should take into account. When the Swedish Migration Agency makes a decision regarding a work permit they compare the offered monthly salary to the lowest 10% of the average monthly salary for that job position based on the SSYK-code. For example, the average monthly salary for a software developer (SSYK-code: 2512) in the private sector is 50 900 kr for the year 2022. 10% of the employees in this category earn 36 000 kr a month- which is the minimum salary the Swedish Migration Agency will accept for the permit application.
NOTE that the data is sourced from 2022. You therefore have to calculate for the updated salary for whatever year you apply. The Swedish Migration Agency account for a 3 % salary increase each year. If you do not have the data for the current year, you should do the maths with this salary increase. For 2024, the 10% of software developers earn 38 192 kr a month, according to this assumption.
Compliant salaries over time
Another thing that the Swedish Migration Agency will check is if the salary has been compliant over time. Have said international been working in Sweden for some time, it is important that the salary have not been under the minimum for the job positions that the person have held. This can especially be brought to light when applying for a work permit extension or a residence permit. You, as an employer, should always check the salary before promoting your international employee for a new job position, for example. A new job position could imply a different SSYK-code, and therefore the salary minimum might differ.
Check the salary with data from SCB
So, how could you check the salary then? The Swedish Migration Agency sources the data from Statistics Sweden, SCB, and more specifically this datatrend. In order to find the minimum in which the Swedish Migration Agency use as a benchmark, you should select the variable “10th percentile” . You also need the correct SSYK-code in order to check the salary. Don’t forget the 3% salary increase a year if the data isn’t up-to-date!
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Psst! We also have a way to check the salary directly in our software. Book a meeting with us to learn more.
