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The Swedish Occupational Register with statistics 2021

Most common occupation was “assistant nurses, home care and homes for the elderly”

Statistical news from Statistics Sweden 2023-03-08 8.00

The most common occupation in Sweden was “assistant nurses, home care and homes for the elderly”. Women accounted for 89 percent and men accounted for 11 percent of people with this occupation. It was also the most common occupation among women. The most common occupation among men was “warehouse and terminal staff”, which was the fourth most common occupation overall. Men accounted for 76 percent and women accounted for 24 percent of people with this occupation.

Among the 30 largest occupations, the distribution by sex was even within four occupations; “cooks and cold-buffet managers”, of which 50 percent were women and 50 percent were men, had the most even balance between the sexes. An even balance means that the distribution between the sexes is 40 percent and 60 percent respectively.

The 30 most common occupations in Sweden among employees aged 16-64 years, 2021

Diagram

The most common occupation for women was “assistant nurses, home care and homes for the elderly”, of whom there were 114 820 employees with an average age of 45 years, followed by “primary school teachers”, of whom there were 83 160 employees with an average age of 43 years.

The 10 most common occupations in Sweden among women who were employees aged 16-64 years, 2021
Occupation1 Total number of women Total numer of men Percent, women Average age, women
Assistant nurses, home care and homes for the elderly
114 820 14 530 89 45
Primary school teachers
83 160 29 330 74 43
Child care workers
81 140 8 580 90 40
shop sales, specialty stores
64 620 42 190 60 34
Preschool teachers
62 860 2 720 96 43
shop sales, groceries
57 850 31 100 65 33
Home-based personal care and related workers
56 290 22 740 71 36
Cleaners and helpers in offices, hotels and other establishments
54 680 20 930 72 44
Office clerks not elsewhere classified
53 230 14 180 79 44
Personal care providers
52 380 19 940 72 43

1According to the Swedish Standard Classification of Occupations 2012 (SSYK2012) at a four-digit level. The figures are rounded to the nearest 10.

The most common occupation for men was “warehouse and terminal staff” of whom there were 73 710 employees with an average age of 37 years, followed by “software- and system developers”, of whom there were 73 510 employees with an average age of 40 years.

The 10 most common occupations in Sweden among men who were employees aged 16-64 years, 2021
Occupation1 Total number of men Total numer of women Percent, men Average age, men
Warehouse and terminal Staff
73 710 23 650 76 37
Software- and system developers
73 510 17 320 81 40
Commercial sales representatives
63 010 23 500 73 45
Heavy truck and lorry drivers
50 610 4 530 92 42
Woodworkers, carpenters
48 360 670 99 40
Machine-tool operators
43 070 7 840 85 42
shop sales, specialty stores
42 190 64 620 40 35
Building caretakers
34 390 7 330 82 46
Electricians, installation and service
33 790 870 97 37
Vehicle mechanics and repairers
31 430 920 97 39

1According to the Swedish Standard Classification of Occupations 2012 (SSYK2012) at a four-digit level. The figures are rounded to the nearest 10.

Definitions and explanations

Information concerning employees is reported for those aged 16-64 years classified as gainfully employed in the register-based labour market statistics (RAMS). The classification of gainfully employed persons is mainly based on the monthly employer reports at individual level from the Swedish Tax Agency. To be classified as gainfully employed, the person must have received a salary in November that exceeds SEK 99, or must conduct a business activity. In addition, the person must be entered in the population register in Sweden on 31 December and be aged between 16 and 74 years old. Even those who were temporarily absent during the measurement period, for instance due to sickness or parental leave, are included in the frame. The term ‘employee’ also includes self-employed persons who run their operations as a limited company.

The occupations follow the classifications used in the Swedish Standard Classification of Occupations (SSYK 2012).

Next publishing will be

The next publishing will be in March 2024.

Statistical Database

More information is available in the Statistical Database

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Statistical agency

Statistics Sweden

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Linn Eriksson

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