There are three types of employment in Sweden: tillsvidareanställning, tidsbegränsad anställning and provanställning.
It is important to know what kind of employment you have or are being offered, as regulations varies between them. Your employment contract should clearly state what kind of employment you have.
1. Tillsvidareanställning (employment until further notice)
Tillsvidareanställning (colloquially called fast anställning) is a coveted employment form. This is the safest employment form and works as security when taking, i.e. a loan at the bank.
A tillsvidareanställning comes with a notice period – uppsägningstid. You and your employer are bound by this notice period and the length of your notice period should be stated in your employment contract. It regularly expands from one up to six months. You will receive full salary and have accesses to all your other work benefits during your whole uppsägningstid.
A tillsvidareanställning is a safe employment and you can’t be let go without just cause. Your employer needs to have just cause – saklig grund in order to terminate your employment. A saklig grund can either be work shortage – arbetsbrist or personal reasons personliga skäl (personal reasons).
Work shortage – arbetsbrist refers to the actual lack of work but also includes financial shortages within the company. Personal reasons – personliga skäl means that you failed to fulfill your obligations stated in your contract or that you have made yourself guilty of physical abuse, threats of violence, theft, misappropriation, unfair competition, refusal to work or unauthorized absence. Severe cases of the later can also lead to dismissal, which means that you won’t have the security of a notice period.
The main rule is that contracts shall be valid until further notice. This means that other employments types like temporary employment, probationary employments etc. are exceptions to this general rule.
2.Tidsbegränsad anställning (temporary employment)
Tidsbegränsad anställning means that your employment has a clearly stated beginning and end date. This employment is mostly applied on seasonal employments or substitutions. Note, thought that if you have been employed for more than two years, over the course of five years, your temporary employment will automatically turn into a tillsvidareanställning (employment of further notice).
3. Provanställning (probation employment)
Another employment type is a probation employment – provanställning. A provanställning might be shorter but is mostly six months. Note, that your employment will turn into an tillsvidareanställning (employment until further notice) if your employment isn’t interrupted prematurely by your employer.
4. Timanställning (hourly employment)
Hourly employment – timanställning (employment by hour) is not a valid employment form in Sweden. There is, however, no limit for how short a tidsbegränsad anställning can be. Which means that some employers apply tidsbegränsad anställning on very short employments, turning it in reality into an hourly employment.
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