Applying for work when you are receiving or have received compensation from sickness insurance

If you are no longer entitled to sickness benefit, sickness compensation or activity compensation you can receive support from us at Arbetsförmedlingen if you choose to look for work. It may also be possible for those who are still receiving compensation to look for work at the same time.

Personal meeting

Arbetsförmedlingen and the Swedish Social Insurance Agency cooperate in order to give you favourable conditions for returning working life. You are welcome at Arbetsförmedlingen regardless of whether or not you are receiving compensation from sickness insurance. The Social Insurance Agency books a meeting with us at which you are given information about what services Arbetsförmedlingen is able to offer you. We also discuss what you can do yourself to ease your transition into working life.

A film in Swedish about the transition meeting (Försäkringskassan YouTube) (youtube.com) (in Swedish)

Looking for work while still receiving your sickness benefit

If you have been on sick leave for between 90 and 180 days, the Social Insurance Agency may decide that you are able to look for another job while receiving sickness benefit at the same time. You can do this while keeping your job. The Social Insurance Agency pays sickness benefit while you are looking for a new job or moving towards a new occupational field.

When the Social Insurance Agency has decided that you are able to look for work you can register as a jobseeker with Arbetsförmedlingen. The website arbetsformedlingen.se has information and tips to help you on your path towards a new job.

However, you cannot utilise the support that requires a decision by Arbetsförmedlingen as it is not possible to combine this with your compensation from sickness insurance. It is therefore important that you inform Arbetsförmedlingen about your situation so there is no negative impact on the compensation you are receiving from the Social Insurance Agency.

If you want to register with Arbetsförmedlingen on your own initiative while receiving compensation from sickness insurance, you need to contact the Social Insurance Agency which must first grant you approval to register with Arbetsförmedlingen. This prevents there being any negative impact on the compensation you are receiving.

Looking for work when you are not receiving compensation from sickness insurance

When you are no longer entitled to compensation from sickness insurance, i.e. sickness benefit, sickness compensation or activity compensation, you are welcome at Arbetsförmedlingen. It is then possible to arrange a meeting with the Social Insurance Agency and Arbetsförmedlingen in order to get started with looking for work and getting more information about what Arbetsförmedlingen is able to offer you.

If you do not want the Social Insurance Agency to book a meeting with us at Arbetsförmedlingen, you can register as a jobseeker yourself from the first day you are unemployed.

When you register with Arbetsförmedlingen

In order to benefit from the full range of services offered by Arbetsförmedlingen you need to be unemployed or at risk of becoming unemployed. When you are looking for work, you can receive support from us that is based on your needs. If you apply for or receive compensation during the time you are registered with Arbetsförmedlingen, you have to actively look for work. You also need to adhere to the plan we agree on.

When you choose not to register with Arbetsförmedlingen

If you do not register with Arbetsförmedlingen and look for work, this may affect your income qualifying for sickness benefit. This is important as it governs how much compensation you receive from the Social Insurance Agency if you, for example, become sick or take out parental allowance. The Social Insurance Agency can help you if you have questions about your income qualifying for sickness benefit.

The Social Insurance Agency website has more information about sickness insurance.

Sickness benefit (forsakringskassan.se)

Sickness compensation (forsakringskassan.se) (in Swedish)

Activity compensation (forsakringskassan.se) (in Swedish)

Arbetsförmedlingen can offer you

  • support via telephone, online chat or a booked meeting
  • information about various ways to look for work
  • information about the labour market
  • information about Arbetsförmedlingen’s services
  • support such as vocational education, validation, job experience, vocational and theoretical courses
  • information about general conditions for compensation from unemployment insurance
  • tailored support from a supervisor at one of our suppliers.

Unemployed - what happens now?