When I was looking for a job in Sweden, I remember searching on Google ‘jobs for foreigners in Sweden’ and the results were… abysmal, to put it directly. First, I found an article that listed the lowest-level entry jobs: cleaning, warehouse, food delivery, and odd-jobs. And while we need people to do these jobs and they are important, I don’t think someone spends 4 years getting a Master’s Degree planning to end up delivering food. Foreigners are educated and deserve jobs that reflect that, not scavenging to take the lowest-paying jobs just to make sure their bills are paid. And I’ve done it – I’ve taken cleaning and restaurants jobs to pay my bills when it was taking too long to find the job I really wanted. It’s not a good feeling.
The next thing I found were lists of recruiting companies that were too generalized. Either they were staffing agencies (such as Ranstad or Manpower) that would only employ people on short-notice assignments, and usually not within their industries of choice but rather warehouses and restaurants, or they were generalized recruiting agencies that worked mainly with Swedish talents with a little bit of foreign talent sprinkled in.
Fun story: In the beginning of my job search in Sweden in 2018, I became so confused as to why no one wanted to hire me that I interviewed at least 6 Swedish HR and Recruiting specialists to find out why I wasn’t getting hired. Most of the companies recommended in blog posts were the above-mentioned companies, and I was highly frustrated that there were no mentions of recruiting agencies easily found for foreigners that included careers for university-educated professionals. This is why I am making this list below – because foreign-born professionals are looking for recruitment agencies that will actually get them the job they want, not the job that will pay the bills.
Every company below I have spoken to personally or have confirmed directly with them that the information can benefit international professionals. If you are reading this blog post looking for a comprehensive list of high-quality recruiting companies, I suggest you identify with the following categories in order to proceed with the right fit for you:
- International professional who lives in Sweden or planning to move there
- University-educated, with at least one degree or soon-to-graduate
- Have working experience in your industry of choice (can include internships)
- You are looking specifically for a career in your industry, not just any job to pay your bills (warehouse jobs will not be found in this list)
Here is my list of top recommended recruiting companies that work with foreign-born and international professionals who want to move to, work and live in Sweden:
- Beyondo
- Novare Potential
- AndPeople AB
- Incluso
- Undutchables
- We Exist
- Rekrit
- International House Gothenburg
- Switch to Sweden – Tap the Talent
- Miljönbemanning
- Beela
- Mitt Liv
Check out our open-source Excel List for all companies and recruiters. If you would like to recommend a company or person (including yourself), please add it to the list! A master copy is also saved.
Link to list: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1mYL33WbpKjtifxzGhiyeyKF_O2Kj7yhZxPN6E0nwYbg/edit?usp=sharing
*Disclaimer – since data can be entered by anyone, I cannot give an opinion of their credibility unless they are on the list within this blog post. With that in mind, please feel free to check them out and see if it is a good option for you.
Looking for help on how to get a job in Sweden?
👉 Find career coaching and CV help here: www.intertalentsinsweden.com/services
