If you are notified of dismissals or temporary layoffs

Receiving notice means the employer is giving advance warning that employees may be impacted by dismissals, often due to lack of work. You can read here about what happens in the event of receiving notice, redundancies, dismissals, or bankruptcy, and what support is available from a transition organisation. We also offer tips on how to prepare, even if you don’t know yet whether you will be unemployed.

Have you received notice of dismissals?

Receiving notice does not automatically mean you will be dismissed or become unemployed. For example, during the notice period, you might find a new job or the situation at your workplace may change, so that you get to keep your job.

However, if you become unemployed it is important that you register with us on your first day of unemployment. This way, you can apply for an unemployment insurance fund (a-kassa) and keep your sickness benefit qualifying income (sjukpenninggrundande inkomst, SGI).

Information about notice for employers (in Swedish)

“Notice” means that an employer is giving advance notification to employees of possible dismissals, often due to lack of work. The employer is obligated to give notice if at least five people in the same county are at risk of being dismissed. However, that does not mean that everyone who receives notice will actually be dismissed.

In practice, it means that the employer is notifying both the union and the Public Employment Service (Arbetsförmedlingen). This notification includes the reasons for the planned reductions, when they will occur, and how many people will be affected.

Checklist if you receive notice of dismissal

It is not certain that receiving notice means you will be dismissed, but it can still be good to prepare. Here are a few tips if you have received notice.

 

  • Look up what applies with regard to the notice period, insurance, and occupational pension.
  • At arbetsförmedlingen.se you can find helpful information if you want to begin your job search.
  • When you are given notice, you do not need to contact us. Not everyone who receives notice will be dismissed. If you are dismissed – register with us on your first day of unemployment.

Transition support – when your employment ends

If you lose your job, you may be entitled to support from a transition organisation. The purpose of this support is to make it easier to find a new job, and you can apply before your current job ends. Transition support might be available if you have been let go due to lack of work or illness, or after limited-time employment runs out.

If your employer has a collective agreement, you receive transition support through the transition organisation to which your employer is connected.

Find out what transition organisation you belong to (hittaomstallningsorg.se) (in Swedish)

If your employer does not have a collective agreement, you can apply for support from the public transition organisation.

Public transition organisation (nysteget.se) (in Swedish)

Severance pay – when your employment expires

You may receive severance pay from an employer when an employment relationship expires. The compensation is not statutory but is often based on a contract or agreement between the employer and the employee.

If you have received severance payment, your unemployment insurance fund will calculate the earliest date on which you are entitled to unemployment benefits. Register with Arbetsförmedlingen on your first day of unemployment and submit an application for benefits to your unemployment insurance fund, which will then issue a decision.

Registering with Arbetsförmedlingen when your employment has expired is also important in order to protect your sickness benefit qualifying income (SGI) with Försäkringskassan (the Swedish Social Insurance Agency). Contact Försäkringskassan if you have any questions about SGI and how to protect it in the event of unemployment.

Temporary lay-offs and short-time work

Being temporarily laid off involves a reduction in working hours without losing your salary. In some cases, you may not be working any hours and still receiving full pay. You always retain your employment while you are temporarily laid off and you must be prepared to start working as usual again when the company can take you back.

Sometimes you might be put on short-time work (korttidspermitterad, korttidsarbete). In that case, you will have reduced working hours and receive a slightly less pay than usual temporary layoffs. Short-time work may occur when a company is affected by unexpected and temporary problems.

You do not need to register with the Public Employment Service when you are temporarily laid off or put on short-time work, because you are still employed. Only when you become unemployed do you register with the Public Employment Service.

Wage guarantee – if your employer goes bankrupt

Wage guarantee means you can receive compensation for pay you did not receive when your employer went bankrupt or if your employer undergoes corporate restructuring. This money is paid by the Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverket).

If you have questions about the sum you receive in wage guarantee, contact the bankruptcy administrator or reconstructor.

You must be registered with the Public Employment Service to receive wage guarantee. Submit the application for compensation from the unemployment insurance fund on your first day of unemployment, if you become unemployed after the wage guarantee.

The Swedish Tax Agency has information about what applies for the wage guarantee.

Wage guarantee for employees (skatteverket.se)