The Swedish Occupational Register with occupational statistics 2023
Uneven gender distribution in most major professions
Statistical news from Statistics Sweden 2024-12-19 8.00
The most common occupation in Sweden was “assistant nurses, home care and homes for the elderly”. It was also the most common occupation among women. The most common occupation among men was “Software- and system developers”.
Among the 30 largest occupations, the distribution by sex was even within four occupations; “Management and organisation analysts” and “cooks and cold-buffet managers” had the most even balance between the sexes. The least balanced gender distribution was found in “Woodworkers, carpenters”, where 2 percent were women.
An even balance means that the distribution between the sexes is 40 percent and 60 percent respectively.
The most common occupation for women was “assistant nurses, home care and homes for the elderly”, of whom there were 112 110 employees, followed by “primary school teachers”, of whom there were 87 760 employees. The proportion of women in these professions was 88 and 74 percent, respectively.
| Occupation1 | Total number of women | Total numer of men | Percent, women | Average age, women |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Assistant nurses, home care and homes for the elderly
|
112 110 | 15 890 | 88 | 47 |
|
Primary school teachers
|
87 760 | 30 720 | 74 | 44 |
|
Child care workers
|
85 110 | 8 170 | 91 | 41 |
|
Shop sales, specialty stores
|
73 190 | 46 380 | 61 | 33 |
|
Home-based personal care and related workers
|
67 950 | 27 110 | 71 | 36 |
|
Cleaners and helpers in offices, hotels and other establishments
|
65 650 | 24 510 | 73 | 44 |
|
Shop sales, groceries
|
65 010 | 37 480 | 63 | 33 |
|
Preschool teachers
|
63 670 | 2 580 | 96 | 44 |
|
Personal care providers
|
59 430 | 23 110 | 72 | 44 |
|
Office clerks not elsewhere classified
|
58 240 | 15 630 | 79 | 44 |
1) According 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 “software- and system developers”, of whom there were 89 210 employees, followed by “warehouse and terminal staff”, of whom there were 80 700 employees. The proportion of men in these professions was 79 and 75 percent, respectively.
| Occupation1 | Total number of men | Total numer of women | Percent, men | Average age, men |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Software- and system developers
|
89 210 | 23 640 | 79 | 40 |
|
Warehouse and terminal Staff
|
80 700 | 26 550 | 75 | 37 |
|
Commercial sales representatives
|
67 550 | 26 620 | 72 | 45 |
|
Woodworkers, carpenters
|
55 580 | 980 | 98 | 41 |
|
Heavy truck and lorry drivers
|
55 330 | 5 650 | 91 | 43 |
|
shop sales, specialty stores
|
46 380 | 73 190 | 39 | 35 |
|
Machine-tool operators
|
46 110 | 8 990 | 84 | 42 |
|
Electricians, installation and service
|
40 020 | 1 220 | 97 | 37 |
|
Building caretakers
|
38 650 | 7 310 | 84 | 47 |
|
shop sales, groceries
|
37 480 | 65 010 | 37 | 32 |
1) According 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 16-69 years classified as employed in the Population by Labour market status (BAS). The classification of 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 0, 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 December 2025.
Feel free to use the facts from this statistical news but remember to state Source: Statistics Sweden.