If you work in Sweden, one statute decides how secure your job is, how much notice you get and who goes first when work runs out. Here is how it works since its 2022 overhaul, and what it means for a foreign employee.
When you need this
You have a Swedish job offer that says provanställning, särskild visstidsanställning or tillsvidare, and you want to know what you are signing. Your probation is about to end. Your employer has announced redundancies. You have had one fixed-term contract after another and wonder when the job becomes permanent. Or you hold a work permit and want to know what losing the job would mean.
What LAS is and who it covers
LAS stands for lagen om anställningsskydd, the Employment Protection Act (SFS 1982:80). It applies to employees in both public and private employment, and its scope rule sets no citizenship condition. A foreign employee of a Swedish employer is covered on the same terms as a Swede.
A few groups fall outside it:
| Group | How LAS applies |
|---|---|
| People employed to work in the employer’s household, such as a family’s nanny | Not at all |
| Managers in a company-management position | Most of the act does not apply |
| The employer’s family members | Most of the act does not apply |
| Some subsidised jobs | Most of the act does not apply |
The other thing to know up front is that much of LAS can be replaced by a collective agreement. Agreements may change the fixed-term rules, the seniority order and notice details, and an employer bound by one may apply it to non-members too. About 88% of employees in Sweden were covered by a collective agreement in 2025, so for many workers the agreement holds the real rules and LAS is the floor. Ask which agreement covers your job; the employer must name it in writing within a month of your start. Our guide to unions and collective agreements explains how that system works.
What changed in October 2022
LAS was reformed with effect from 1 October 2022, through a government bill (Prop. 2021/22:176) built on a principle agreement between the employers’ confederation Svenskt Näringsliv, the white-collar bargaining council PTK and the unions IF Metall and Kommunal.
Changed in October 2022: many English guides still describe the act before October 2022. These are the main changes.
| Before 1 October 2022 | Since 1 October 2022 |
|---|---|
| General fixed-term employment (allmän visstidsanställning) | Special fixed-term employment (särskild visstidsanställning), converting after more than 12 months in five years |
| Two seniority exemptions, small employers only | Up to three exemptions for any employer |
| A disputed dismissal could keep the job alive until the court ruled | The job ends when notice runs out, whatever happens in court |
| No such rule | Full-time is the default unless otherwise agreed |
The same package created a study grant for mid-career retraining, omställningsstudiestöd, run by CSN. It is open from the year you turn 27 to the year you turn 63, if you have worked at least eight of the last fourteen years.
Employment forms: permanent, probation and fixed-term
The starting point is simple: an employment contract runs tills vidare, until further notice. That is a permanent job. A fixed-term contract is allowed only in the forms the act lists, and one made outside them can be declared permanent by a court.
| Form | Swedish | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Permanent | tillsvidareanställning | Default; ends only by notice |
| Probation | provanställning | At most six months |
| Special fixed-term | särskild visstidsanställning | Permanent after more than 12 months in five years |
| Substitute cover | vikariat | Permanent after more than two years in five years |
| Seasonal work | säsongsarbete | Tied to the season; own notice rules |
Probation is the stage that matters most to newcomers. Either side can end it during the trial period unless the contract says otherwise, and the employer must warn you at least two weeks in advance and tell your local union at the same time if you are a member. The act states no requirement of objective grounds for this. If nobody gives notice by the last day, the job becomes permanent automatically.
Special fixed-term employment needs no reason. It turns permanent once you have had more than 12 months of it with the same employer within five years, or in an unbroken chain of fixed-term jobs there. A chain means each job started within six months of the previous one ending. With three or more such contracts at one employer in a single calendar month, the gaps between them count as well. For special fixed-term employment the form must be stated when the contract is made; all other essential terms must be in writing by the seventh calendar day of work.
Two more rules help part-timers. Full-time is the default unless otherwise agreed, and on request the employer must give the reason for part-time in writing within three weeks. After six months’ service, and not on probation, a request for a permanent job or more hours gets a written, reasoned reply within one month. An employer also may not forbid a second job unless it hinders your work, competes harmfully or otherwise damages the business.
Seasonal workers have their own notice rules, covered in seasonal jobs in Sweden.
Dismissal and notice periods
An employer who wants to end a permanent job must have sakliga skäl, objective grounds. There are two kinds: lack of work (arbetsbrist), or circumstances relating to you personally. Either way, a dismissal lacks objective grounds if it is reasonable to expect the employer to offer you other work instead. A dismissal for personal reasons may not rest only on things the employer has known about for more than two months, with narrow exceptions.
The procedure is formal. The dismissal must be in writing, handed to you personally where reasonable, and must say how to challenge it and whether you have re-employment priority. For personal reasons the employer must warn you at least two weeks ahead, and you may ask for consultation. Summary dismissal (avsked), which ends the job immediately, is allowed only for gross breach of duties and needs one week’s warning.
Notice periods grow with service:
| Total service with the employer | Notice the employer must give |
|---|---|
| Under 2 years | 1 month |
| 2 to under 4 years | 2 months |
| 4 to under 6 years | 3 months |
| 6 to under 8 years | 4 months |
| 8 to under 10 years | 5 months |
| 10 years or more | 6 months |
When you resign, the statutory minimum is one month. The longer periods are owed to you, not by you, and an employee who ignores the one-month minimum can be liable for damages. During notice you keep full salary and benefits even with no work to do, and you get reasonable paid time off to look for work or visit Arbetsförmedlingen. Your collective agreement may set other periods.
Redundancy: last in, first out
When an employer cuts staff for lack of work, LAS sets the order: turordning, popularly sist in, först ut. It first requires the employer to negotiate with the unions under the co-determination act. Then:
- Exemptions: before the order is set, any employer may exempt up to three employees of special importance to the business, whatever its size. No new exemptions may be made for redundancies within the next three months.
- Seniority: among the rest, longer total service with the employer takes precedence. With equal service, the older employee stays.
- Qualifications: someone who can only stay through redeployment must have sufficient qualifications for the remaining work.
The order is drawn up per operating unit and, where the employer is bound by collective agreements, per agreement area. It is not one list across the whole company. And a collective agreement may replace the statutory order altogether.
Two consequences matter for newcomers. Someone who has just moved to Sweden for a job has the least seniority. And a dismissal attacked only for breaking the seniority order is not declared invalid; damages are the remedy.
After a redundancy, an employee with more than 12 months’ service in the last three years has priority to new jobs there for nine months after the job ends, if qualified. Shorter thresholds apply to fixed-term workers: more than nine months of special fixed-term employment in three years, or more than six months of seasonal work in two. Where the notice says registration is needed, register your claim in writing. The same thresholds give fixed-term employees a right to one month’s warning that their job will not continue.
Deadlines if you want to challenge a dismissal
| Deadline | What happens if you miss it |
|---|---|
| 2 weeks after the dismissal: notify the employer you want it declared invalid | The claim is lost |
| 1 month from the end of the job, if the notice lacked instructions | The claim is lost |
| 4 months: notify a claim for damages | The claim is lost |
Warning: since 2022 a court cannot order a disputed dismissal to keep the job alive until the final ruling. You may need unemployment insurance while a dispute runs.
If an employer refuses to follow a court ruling, it owes damages of 16, 24 or 32 monthly salaries depending on service under five, five to ten, or ten or more years. Unions represent members in these disputes, which is one reason to consider joining during probation.
If you are on a work permit
For a non-EU employee, the job carries the permit. Migrationsverket says you can stay in Sweden for three months after your last working day to look for a new job, provided the permit is still valid. If you find nothing in that time, or the permit expires first, it can be revoked and you must leave unless you have another right to stay. Start the search the day notice is given. Our guide to work permits in Sweden covers the permit side, and the working holiday visa is a separate route with its own rules.
Finally, the age limit: you may stay employed until the end of the month you turn 69. After that, one month’s notice applies and no objective grounds are required. A 2025 government inquiry proposes tying this age to the pension target age plus two years, but no change to LAS has been made.
Practical information
| Item | What to know | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| Probation | At most six months; two weeks’ warning to end it | 2026-10-14 |
| Special fixed-term employment | Permanent after more than 12 months in five years | 2026-10-14 |
| Notice period pay | Full salary and benefits for the whole notice period | 2026-10-14 |
| Damages if employer refuses a ruling | 16, 24 or 32 monthly salaries by service length | 2026-10-14 |
| Omställningsstudiestöd | Grant plus optional loan, based on your income; amounts at CSN | 2026-10-14 |
| Work permit after job loss | Three months from the last working day if the permit is valid | 2026-10-14 |
FAQ
What is LAS in Sweden?
LAS is the Employment Protection Act (lagen om anställningsskydd, SFS 1982:80). It makes jobs permanent by default, limits fixed-term contracts, requires objective grounds for dismissal, sets notice periods of one to six months and orders redundancies by seniority. It covers foreign employees of Swedish employers too, but collective agreements may replace parts of it.
How long is probation in Sweden?
At most six months. Either side can end it during that time unless the contract says otherwise, and the employer must give two weeks’ advance notice; the act requires no reason. If nobody gives notice by the last day, the job automatically becomes permanent. Collective agreements may set different terms, so check yours.
What does last in, first out mean in Swedish law?
When an employer cuts staff for lack of work, those with the shortest total service go first, and with equal service the younger goes first. The order is set per operating unit and agreement area, employees must be qualified for the remaining work, and since 2022 any employer may exempt up to three key people.
What is särskild visstidsanställning?
It is special fixed-term employment, introduced on 1 October 2022 to replace general fixed-term employment. No reason is needed, but it becomes permanent once you have had more than 12 months of it with the same employer within five years, or in an unbroken chain of fixed-term jobs there. Gaps of under six months do not break the chain.
What is the notice period in Sweden?
At least one month for both sides. An employer must give longer notice as service grows: two months after two years, three after four, four after six, five after eight and six months after ten years. You keep full pay during notice even if given no work. Your collective agreement may set other periods.
Can I be fired in Sweden without a reason?
Not from a permanent job: the employer needs objective grounds, either lack of work or reasons relating to you personally, and must first consider other work for you. Probation is different: it can be ended with two weeks’ warning and no stated reason. To challenge a dismissal, notify the employer within two weeks.
What happens to my work permit if I lose my job?
Migrationsverket says you can stay in Sweden for three months after your last working day to look for a new job, provided your permit is still valid. If you find no new job in that time, or the permit expires first, it can be revoked and you must leave unless you have another right to stay.
Related guides
- Unions and collective agreements — the agreements that rewrite parts of LAS for most workers
- A-kassa unemployment insurance — income while you look for work or a dispute runs
- Work permits in Sweden — what a lost job means for a non-EU worker
- Moving to Sweden for work — the first month, from contract to registration
- Swedish work culture — the negotiating habit behind the law
Facts verified 2026-10-14. Sources: Sveriges riksdag (Lag 1982:80 om anställningsskydd, Prop. 2021/22:176, Lag 1976:580), Regeringskansliet, Migrationsverket, CSN and Medlingsinstitutet — full register in this topic’s source file. This is general information, not legal advice. Found something outdated? Tell us and we’ll fix it.