New start job – how it works

New start job is a scheme offering compensation to employers who are willing to hire someone who has been out of the labour market for a long time.

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An employer wants to hire you in a new start job

If you meet any of the conditions, you can consider whether a new start job is something for you. Find an employer who is willing to hire you in a new start job, either through your own contacts or through us. Ask the employer to submit an application to us. Bear in mind that new start job is a scheme offering compensation that is paid to the employer in order to hire you.

For whom – do you meet the requirements?

Application for the employer (in Swedish)

Fill in the form on My Pages

Once we have received the application from the employer, a form will appear on My Pages in your event feed. This is where you fill in information about your time away from the labour market. Your absence must be valid (e.g. parental leave or sick leave) and to some extent continuous for you to be able to have a new start job.

How to fill in the form

If you do not have a computer or electronic identification

  • If you do not have a computer or a smartphone, you can visit us and use one of our computers.
  • If you do not have electronic identification, you can answer the questions about your absence from work by filling in a paper form: Job seeker’s summary for new start job (in Swedish) Pdf, 479 kB.. The form may also be obtained at any of our offices.

How to get electronic identification (in Swedish)

Form: Job seeker’s summary for new start job (in Swedish) Pdf, 479 kB.

We make a decision

The Swedish Public Employment Service makes its decision on the new start job. The decision is based on your answers and any certificates together with the employer’s application and whether the employer meets certain conditions.

How much the employer can claim (in Swedish)

You start work

Once we have made a decision, you can start your employment in the new start job. This means that your employer receives compensation for hiring you and you will get a new start.

Once we have made a decision you can start your employment with a new start job. That means that your employer is paid to employ you.

We recommend that you and the employer draw up an employment contract that describes what applies to your job.

Rights and obligations – things to bear in mind when drawing up an employment contract

How we make a decision

When we have received the employer’s application and your responses in the form on My Pages (or on a paper form) we will investigate and assess whether you belong to the target group for new start jobs. For example, if you are a new immigrant or have been absent from working life for a long time, you may belong to the target group.

For whom – do you meet the requirements?

The employer must also meet certain conditions, for example having no tax debts passed on to the Swedish Enforcement Authority or significant records of non-payment.

How the new start job affects you

  • The new start job scheme is a government “compensation” scheme in the form of a credit to the employer’s tax account with the Swedish Tax Agency for your employment.
  • The new start job does not affect your wages, working hours or the length of your employment.
  • You are entitled to the salary specified in the employer’s collective agreement. If the employer does not have a collective agreement, you should still receive a salary that is equivalent to the collective agreement in the industry.

  • A position in the form of a new start job is covered by the Swedish Employment Protection Act (LAS). If the employer has a collective agreement, agreement may have been reached to depart from certain parts of LAS.
  • Compensation to the employer is time-limited, but your employment does not need to be.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who can get a new start job?

It is the employer who applies for a new start job for you if you have been out of work for a long time.

  • The employer can receive compensation for hiring you if you are registered at the Swedish Public Employment Service and have, for example, been out of work, on sick leave or unemployed and receiving social assistance for a long time.
  • You, as a jobseeker, receive employment and a wage, and the employer receives support from the Swedish Public Employment Service. The employer cannot, however, receive compensation for a job that already exists.
  • Nor is the employer entitled to receive compensation if you have a significant influence in the business by, for example, sitting on the Board of Directors or being a partner, company signatory, managing director or the like.
  • If the employer is a sole trader, he or she cannot receive compensation for employing his or her spouse or cohabiting partner.

New start job – for employers (in Swedish)

For what forms of employment does the new start job scheme apply?

A new start job is not a form of employment, but a tax subsidy for a normal job that applies to permanent jobs and fixed-term jobs. It also applies to part-time jobs. The new start job scheme does not apply to on-call jobs, so-called hourly jobs.

What wage will you receive in a new start job?

  • If the employer has a collective agreement, you must be paid in accordance with that collective agreement.
  • If the employer does not have a collective agreement, you must be paid a wage that is equivalent to the collective agreement for the industry. This means that the wage may not be lower than the stated wage in the industry’s collective agreement.

How does it work with holidays, sickness benefit and parental leave?

A new start job is a substitute for a normal job. Holidays, parental allowance and sickness benefit must also work in the same way as in a normal job.

Do I have to report activities if I have a new start job?

If you are working full-time, you do not need to submit an activity report. If you are working part-time, you need to report for the proportion for which you are still looking for work:

  • Example 1. If you are working full-time, you do not have to report activity.
  • Example 2. If you are working 75% and are registered for 25% at the Swedish Public Employment Service, you must submit the activity report every month. This applies regardless of whether you are claiming compensation for 25% in the form of
    unemployment benefit/activity support or not.

Don’t forget to submit an activity report for your last month out of work. You will usually do this when your employment has already started.

What are the requirements for the employer ahead of the new start job?

  • The employer must be registered in the Swedish Tax Agency’s employer register and report tax and employers’ contributions to the Swedish Tax Agency the month after wages have been paid.
  • The employer pays wages electronically throughout the compensation period.
  • The employer must not have any business prohibition or tax debts that have been passed on to the Swedish Enforcement Authority.
  • The employer must not have significant records of non-payment.

For how long can the employer obtain compensation for my employment in a new start job?

  • At the Swedish Public Employment Service, we calculate for how long and how much the employer can receive in compensation for your employment. If you are to be hired and are entitled to a new start job on several grounds, we choose the alternative that is of most benefit to the employer.
  • We decide on compensation for no more than one year at a time.
  • The employer must also report any changes to us that may affect entitlement to compensation or the scale of compensation. The employer must do so as soon as anything changes. We may then need to review the decision.

How does the employer extend the new start job?

If the employer wishes to extend the new start job, we need to receive an extension application. The decision that the employer receives from us states how long the maximum time for compensation is. It is important that the employer applies for an extension before the decision period expires.