Labour statistics based on administrative sources (RAMS) and gross pay statistics based on income statements (LSUM) 2018
Number of gainfully employed persons and gross pay continue to increase
Statistical news from Statistics Sweden 2019-11-28 9.30
In 2018, there were 56 700 more gainfully employed persons than the previous year, an increase of 1.2 percent. Gross pay increased by 4.8 percent in the corresponding period.
In 2018, 4 979 112 people were gainfully employed, 1.2 percent more than in 2017. Women and men accounted for 48 percent and 52 percent of all gainfully employed persons, respectively. Gross pay increased by 4.8 percent compared with the previous year and amounted to SEK 1 801 billion in 2018. Women’s pay increased by 4.7 percent and men’s pay increased by 4.8 percent.
The number of gainfully employed persons continued to increase in all counties, with the exception of Västernorrland County. The largest increases in the number of gainfully employed persons were recorded in Stockholm County, Uppsala County and Västmanland County, 1.6 percent. The highest increase in gross pay was 5.3 percent, in Stockholm County. The lowest increase in gross pay was 3.3 percent, in Västernorrland County.
Proportion of population gainfully employed increased most among men
In 2018, the proportion of the population that was gainfully employed amounted to 79.5 percent among people aged 20 to 64 years. Among women, this proportion increased by 0.2 percentage points to 78.1 percent, compared with the previous year. Among men, the proportion was 80.8 percent, up by 0.5 percentage points compared with the previous year. The highest proportion of gainfully employed women was 82.2 percent, in Halland County, and the highest proportion of gainfully employed men was 85.1 percent, in Jönköping County.
| County | Proportion of population gainfully employed, age 20–64 |
Change in the number of gainfully employed persons (%) |
Change in gross pay (%) |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women | Men | Women | Men | Women | Men | ||
| Blekinge | 77.6 | 79.3 | ‑0.2 | 1.1 | 3.8 | 3.5 | |
| Dalarna | 79.2 | 82.1 | 0.3 | 1.1 | 3.6 | 3.4 | |
| Gotland | 80.7 | 82.2 | 0.2 | 0.8 | 4.3 | 4.2 | |
| Gävleborg | 77.5 | 81.3 | 0.7 | 1.6 | 3.9 | 3.3 | |
| Halland | 82.2 | 84.5 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 4.3 | 5.1 | |
| Jämtland | 81.8 | 83.6 | 0.5 | 1.1 | 4.2 | 4.3 | |
| Jönköping | 80.6 | 85.1 | 0.2 | 0.9 | 4.5 | 4.3 | |
| Kalmar | 78.2 | 81.8 | 0.0 | 0.9 | 3.8 | 3.4 | |
| Kronoberg | 78.1 | 82.0 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 4.3 | 4.7 | |
| Norrbotten | 81.7 | 82.5 | 0.5 | 1.1 | 3.8 | 3.4 | |
| Skåne | 73.5 | 75.7 | 0.1 | 0.7 | 4.9 | 4.7 | |
| Stockholm | 79.5 | 81.5 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 5.2 | 5.3 | |
| Södermanland | 76.0 | 80.4 | ‑0.2 | 0.8 | 4.5 | 4.3 | |
| Uppsala | 77.2 | 80.4 | ‑0.1 | 0.2 | 5.0 | 5.0 | |
| Värmland | 77.5 | 78.5 | 0.4 | 1.2 | 4.6 | 3.9 | |
| Västerbotten | 79.1 | 82.0 | ‑0.1 | 0.9 | 4.4 | 3.8 | |
| Västernorrland | 79.8 | 82.1 | 0.2 | 0.9 | 3.4 | 3.2 | |
| Västmanland | 76.7 | 81.4 | 0.4 | 1.3 | 4.7 | 4.6 | |
| Västra Götaland | 78.7 | 81.7 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 5.2 | 5.0 | |
| Örebro | 77.2 | 80.8 | 0.1 | 0.9 | 4.6 | 4.4 | |
| Östergötland | 76.3 | 79.7 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 4.2 | 4.2 | |
| Sweden | 78.1 | 80.8 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 4.7 | 4.8 | |
Increase greatest among civilian authorities and in the armed forces
Civilian authorities and national defence was the sector with the largest percentage increase, 4.1 percent, in the number of gainfully employed persons compared with the previous year; 306 000 persons were employed in this sector in 2018. The construction industry accounted for the largest increase in gross pay, 7.2 percent.
Among women, the largest percentage was employed in human health and social work activities, at 27 percent, corresponding to 641 000 persons, followed by the education sector, 17 percent. Among men, most were employed in the mining, quarrying and manufacturing sector, 16 percent, corresponding to 425 000 persons, followed by business services, 13 percent. The distribution of gross pay also shows that, among women, the largest percentage employed in human health and social work activities, at 26 percent, followed by the education sector, 16 percent. Among men, the largest shares of gross pay were in mining, quarrying and manufacturing, 18 percent, and business services, 14 percent.
Among 15 reported industries, men and women were represented equally in 5 industries, meaning that one gender accounted for at least 40 percent of gainfully employed persons. The most balanced participation of men and women was in the hotels and restaurants and financial and insurance activities, in which each sex accounted for 50 percent of gainfully employed persons. The construction industry had the least equal distribution between the sexes; women accounted for 10 percent and men accounted for 90 percent of gainfully employed persons.
Definitions and explanations
Gross pay statistics based on income statements, LSUM, measure gross pay only for the work of employees for one year, while the labour market statistics based on administrative sources, RAMS, measure employment for both employees and self-employed persons in November.
Next publishing will be
The next statistical news in this series will be published on 2020-11-26 at 09:30.
Statistical Database
More information is available in the Statistical Database
Feel free to use the facts from this statistical news but remember to state Source: Statistics Sweden.