Redundancy Rights in Sweden — What Employees Need to Know

In Sweden, termination due to redundancy — known as 'uppsägning på grund av arbetsbrist' — occurs when an employer eliminates positions for business, organisational, or economic reasons rather than because of anything the employee has done wrong. Swedish law provides strong protections for workers in these situations, including strict rules on notice, priority of retention, and re-employment rights. Understanding these rights can make a significant difference to your financial security and future employment prospects.

⚖️ Your Key Rights

• ✓You have the right to a written notice of termination, and your employer must state that the reason is redundancy (arbetsbrist) rather than personal conduct.
• ✓You are entitled to a statutory notice period based on your length of service: 1 month for less than 2 years of employment, increasing up to 6 months for 10 or more years of service, under the Employment Protection Act (LAS).
• ✓You have the right to remain employed and receive full pay and benefits throughout your entire notice period, even if your employer asks you not to come to work.
• ✓Your employer must follow the 'last in, first out' (turordning) seniority rule when deciding who is made redundant — in general, employees with shorter tenure are let go before those with longer tenure, within the same category of work at the same workplace.
• ✓If you have been employed for at least 12 months in the past three years, you have a preferential right (företrädesrätt) to be re-hired if your former employer recruits for similar roles within nine months of your termination.
• ✓Your employer must consult and negotiate with any relevant trade union (fackförbund) before finalising redundancy decisions, under the Co-determination Act (MBL).
• ✓If your employer has at least five employees, you may be entitled to request that your position be relocated to another role within the business before redundancy can be finalised — the employer must investigate reasonable redeployment options.

🚀 What To Do

1. 1Request written confirmation of your termination and ensure it clearly states the reason is redundancy (arbetsbrist), not personal conduct — this distinction is legally important and affects your rights.
2. 2Check your length of service to confirm the correct statutory notice period you are owed, and verify that you will continue to receive full salary and benefits during that entire period.
3. 3Contact your trade union (fackförbund) immediately if you are a member — unions in Sweden play an active role in challenging improper redundancies, negotiating severance, and ensuring seniority rules were correctly applied.
4. 4Ask your employer in writing whether all redeployment (omplacering) options within the organisation have been genuinely explored, as employers are legally required to investigate alternative roles before making you redundant.
5. 5Register with the Swedish Public Employment Service (Arbetsförmedlingen) as early as possible during your notice period to access job-seeking support, and check your eligibility for unemployment benefit (a-kassa) through your unemployment insurance fund.
6. 6If you believe the seniority rules were violated, your re-employment rights were ignored, or proper union consultation did not occur, seek advice from your union or a legal adviser promptly — time limits apply to challenging terminations in Sweden.

🔗 Official Resources