• Sweden edition

Sweden: hard at work or hardly working?

Published: 9 Nov 11 12:49 CET | Double click on a word to get a translation
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/37258/20111109/

Swedes have a reputation for studying longer, working fewer hours and enjoying more holiday leave than people in most other comparable countries, while others argue that the careerism rat race has taken hold. What do you think?

In a new series on The Local, readers are invited to have their say on a topic of the day or week, a perennial hot topic of conversation, or just a subject that engages, outrages or needs a broader airing.

First up this week is the evergreen issue of the Swedish work ethic, which has long caused consternation and evoked the curiosity of international workers moving to these northerly climes.

In a classic article on The Local from back in 2008, US native Doug Lansky, came to the conclusion that full-time Swedish workers could in theory claim up to 130 days off per year and pondered this encouraged a work-shy attitude.

Arguing from a distinctly different point of view, 28-year-old Stockholm resident Andreas Jonsson, argues in The Local this week that Swedish working life has become so status-stressed and careerist that it has left a generation unable to find satisfaction in their career choice mediocrity.

As the eurozone debt crisis continues to rage, the Swedish economy has been regularly held up as a pond of probity and health in a European sea of debt and decadence.

With national debt and unemployment levels relatively low, and GDP stable, is the Swedish work ethic a contributing factor, or a hindrance to greater growth, wealth and success?

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13:37 November 9, 2011 by B Slick
A lot of people these day like to tell you that they "work day and night". Its not how many hours you work thats important its what you get done is whats important. I get a lot done in a short amount of time and i do it without stressing.
14:25 November 9, 2011 by Abe L
I'm fairly sure various other countries have far more holidays then Sweden, such as France.

Second, Swedish people have terrible work ethics, the biggest problem in my opinion is that Swedish employers have terrible reward ethics. I don't care if someone only does half the amount of work or spend half the time less productive then I do, as long as I get payed more.

This doesn't seem to exist in Sweden, working harder, longer, better, faster, or generating the company more revenue are no factors to reward you better. That is the reason why international companies won't settle here, because staff isn't motivated to achieve something. Also promotions are in most cases done by period of employment rather then most qualified person. And then there is the tremendous tax burden that scares companies and professionals away.

I personally also really hate that Swedish people consider having children to be a problem for their employer rather then an inconvenience for their selves. They have no problem with leaving their colleagues in the cold for a year while their off slacking. I really do not understand this. Having children is YOUR problem, if your kid is sick then that is YOUR problem, this shouldn't be the companies concern in ANY way.
14:54 November 9, 2011 by Ra1
Swedes are smart and good in politics to grab what they want.rather than working hard. They get there work done by hiring international people and take the credit for it. Sometimes its funny because they would like to put pressure on the people who are hard working and dont care for the people who are not working in the same project **A Trademark of swedes**. Thats why they have to work in US to learn work ethics.
15:12 November 9, 2011 by Migga
"With national debt and unemployment levels relatively low, and GDP stable, is the Swedish work ethic a contributing factor?"

Yes
15:32 November 9, 2011 by Slash
I dunno about swedes but I would say that people working at migrationsverket are hardly working.

I have not seen such slow work so far in any country..

It's really very disappointing....
15:45 November 9, 2011 by Svensksmith
I'd like to comment here, but it's time for fika.
15:53 November 9, 2011 by ferretlegs
I am a Brit that has been in Sweden for 10 years. Coming here on an expat contract running a production company, I to had similar views Abe L with regards to the issues of employers and mamma / pappa leave. For the last 5 years I have been here as a local, and at long last I have been able to sample the benefits of the Swedish system.

My company even takes it further and tops up the salaries of senior management, to ensure the whole of the workforce can take advantage of this benefit, as apposed to losing 50% of your salary sue to the cap from the social.

For sure it is a challenge for the companies to manage these leaves, but also keep in mind that it is the tax payer that covers these costs primarily, with some input from the company. As most decent working people pay extremely high taxes in comparison, for sure the benefit is not without pain.

Retention values in Sweden are some of the highest in the world, entrepreneurial drive is one of the highest and the skill base with regards to education is surely one of the world leaders, due to the unique system.

So it is to knock Swedes, due to the benefits they have compared to many parts of Europe, an for sure without adapting to the culture, be really being part of it makes it impossible to understand, but the system works. Do we need to look at the US or the UK debts to be in any doubt. What's more, I have lost count how many expats settle down here with families due to the family orientation.

Generally the comments of a negative nature, which I made myself in the beginning, are from the usually single expats, who either leave or have no family, and spend all their time within the circle of expats who make no attempt to understand the culture, but make comments on a very shallow level. Family being termed as a problem, is a pretty clear hint.

In the top two of family ownded companies (as well as family orientated) in the world are Ikea and Tetra Pak!

Life is about choices, if you do not like the work ethic of Sweden, leave and go and join the un-employment lines in your respective countries.
16:28 November 9, 2011 by EricK
@ferretlegs One of the best comments I've read anywhere lately. You nailed down everything.
16:48 November 9, 2011 by ritzy
@Abe L

Society is build up base on the continuity of human reproduction, obviously you do not have children. They are NOT anyone's problem. They are someone that will take care of you when you are old or sick. They are someone that will make sure you live a quality life until you pass on.

Why do you think government promote birth rate, and tries to make sure every kids has proper education and has no health issue? They are not just been stupid and wasting all the money. It is everyone's concern!

Let's put it this way, if it weren't your parents, you won't be here, no?

You are in wrong country if you want monetary rewards. Pick other country that has low tax rate.

@ everyone else, watch the following seminar

Richard Wilkinson: How economic inequality harms societies

http://www.ted.com/talks/richard_wilkinson.html
17:09 November 9, 2011 by yourkidding
I agree with Abe.

I have had people come in to apply for a position with my firm and during the interview when I ask if there are questions I am asked" Yes, what times is fika and lunch?"

Also, when told that it may be necessary at times to work late or on weekends with a project they look at me as if I am crazy and say " But do we not quit work at 4:30" or "Work? On a weekend?" I also find that most Swedes find it impossible to a) multi task and b) turn off cellphones (which is a job requirement)

People always ask me why I usually hire immigrants. I am not biased. I just find their work ethics better and their level of dedication to the job far superior.

I think it may have to do with the education system which is (in my opinion) inadequate and doesn't push excellence or drive but just a "get by" attitude.
21:26 November 9, 2011 by swenrika
work hard and take your time off... keep a balance..

Life is NOT about working all day long.. it is about Living and work should be a means to make it possible.

If you look at countries that work and work and work, their people are burned out, get sick more, are more depressed, less happy etc etc. Not what I would like to see in Sweden at all.

It happens too much nowadays that companies lay off people and the workload is only spread onto the left over staff. That is not a good system, it brings up profits for a while, but breeds contempt amongst workers.

@Abe L - Having children is YOUR problem, if your kid is sick then that is YOUR problem, this shouldn't be the companies concern in ANY way.

It is this sort of thing that I don't understand... a company is reliant upon it's workers.. take care of your workers and they WILL take care of you.. not the other way around. In the US and other EU countries it is .. profits profits profits and see where that has brought them..

I think Sweden is doing just fine.. keep it up... and @ferretlegs - brilliant post. tack.
23:14 November 9, 2011 by Dr. Dillner
I find reading these posts very enlightening. They tell more of the "backstory" and I am able to get a bigger picture.
23:57 November 9, 2011 by Smartone
To all who think Sweden has low-stressed work and better wages:

1. Reklam, go to hundred of houses (go upstairs and down countless time) for a very low-salary maybe 50kr

2. Delivering morning newspaper: However, the mailboxes are at the ground floor but people need paper on their Bed.

Learn to accept the reality! Wake up from dreams of blonde fairy tales!

It's time to work 3:00am!
03:01 November 10, 2011 by repat_xpat
I remember SAAB and Opel sparing over who had the lower hourly rate for engineering services. SAAB won, hands down; however the debate excluded productivity. The Opel engineers produced more product per hour than SAAB -- making their actual costs lower, but this is harder to measure. The sad part is that SAAB compared itself to an extremely high cost counterpart -- not a globally competitive competitor. Swedish engineers need to work though Fika and eat their lunch at their desk more often. BTW: The men should pass up on their paternal leave and work.
03:23 November 10, 2011 by GeoC
@Smartone and you are comparing Swede jobs to what? Try 60 to 80 hour weeks working in a factory in america for the equavilant of 11000 to 20000 kr a month or 100+ hours a week in less then humane factory work conditions in China for roughly 1000kr a month. Suddenly Sweden ain't so bad.

Old saying "Work smarter, not harder"
08:31 November 10, 2011 by mal808
@ferretlegs

I think you should do an opinion piece on the work ethic of Sweden for the local. We need more people praising this work ethic.

@repat_xpat

The social and family ethic is what I love about this country, why should men pass up on there paternal leave? what a ridiculous thing to say.
08:51 November 10, 2011 by Adnan M
@Slash: you havent experienced how such entities work in Belgium, France and Italy. Migrationsverket is lot better
09:36 November 10, 2011 by ferretlegs
It is an idiotic comment to respond to, but what is the issue with pappa leave. In our company we have both parents working in similar roles. Both have equal importance to the company, so it stands to reason it makes no difference which of them takes the time away from work.

I quote my Italian boss when presenting to him that i shall take pappa leave, "but you have no breasts". This way of thinking is out dated in the modern world, where women and men are equals. I have known men be penalised due to taking the choice of pappa leave in their career growth, and therefore it takes a strong individual to stand their ground and take the time they have paid for when working for a non-Swede. When asking my boss what the difference is whether it is me or my wife who shall stay at home, his answer was simply, "she does not work for us".

Thankfully in my company, this is an opinon of the few, and therefore they shall die out like the dinasours they are.

I do not understand why expats hate on the Swedes, for such a life style, that had it been inbedded into our culture in the UK, we would have a much safer and happier country. I grew up only seeing my father at weekends, which were few and far between due to the need to work overtime at his company's request. If this is the life bringing up a family in England would mean, then I am happy to be a father in Sweden and have quality time with them.

For the expats that do not see the benefits, I recommend you find a nice Swedish partner like myself, give up your large expat package (which is why you are expected to work harder), take a local contract and start to enjoy the Swedish life...lagom is good, once you understand it.

For reference, I am a Director with a team of 40. This year I lost 40 months of work time due to mamma and pappa leave. We managed and the team are grateful and work extremely hard and more importantly, efficiently!

ps. Thanks for the good feedback, this article has touched a nerve. My expat friends that still live in the expat circles make such comments about Swedes. The ones that have integrated, have stopped this line of discussion many years back.
10:51 November 10, 2011 by stenhuggaren
@Ferretlegs. I'd love to work for a boss such as yourself.

Take up that promise to write an op-ed for The Local - they carry reader stuff all the time. I am sure it would be enlightening and very interesting to keep this topic running.
12:35 November 10, 2011 by Tennin
I think it's great that Sweden allows for parents to have Mama or Papa leave. Also the fact that you can't dump your baby off at the dagis until they're 1 year old.

In the US at the daycare centers they'd have babies as young as 8 weeks old, because the parents had to get back to work ASAP. Which is really sad to see something so small and fragile be left at the daycare center for minimum of 10 hours a day.

@ferretlegs - great post.

@abe l - Everyone should be able to enjoy time with their babies. If you like working in slave like conditions, then that's your choice. I don't see the US' economy doing so well, and they don't have much benefits or leave time. Companies should take care of their people, and not treat them as slaves that owe the company something.
13:31 November 10, 2011 by Token-not-found
Why should i give up half of my life to a business , firm or employee?

Some of us have to , in order to live, but to do this with a passion and actually want to be more dedicated to it?

Some comments here astound me.

Selling off my time, more than 8 hours a day (half my life) for some items , money and social status just seems so petty to me.

You climb that corporate ladder , robot man, the one that dies with the most things and money is the winner!
13:32 November 10, 2011 by Smartone
@ Geo C: First of all, I think you are exaggerating 80 hours work in a week in America! Secondly, it wasn't any kind of comparison, it is a fact! Last but not least, if you have been offered that low-paid job I'm more than 100 percent sure you would not take it.

P.S. This is the world, where value of a man is tested by the amount of money he is capable to produce!
13:42 November 10, 2011 by GeoC
Smartone....no exaggeration, I worked those jobs in metal fabrication factories in dangerous conditions (Some office workers clock in 100 hours a week to make deadlines and that's salary jobs so no extra pay there). You have to work overtime to get anywhere in certain regions of the USA or risk losing your job. It's easy to criticize things when you make assumptions of places you never been to for a comparison. Trust me, Sweden's one of the best places in the world for treatment of labor.

Try getting some work and taking a year or two to work in another country. Your outlook maybe vastly different.
14:02 November 10, 2011 by Smartone
@ GeoC: I work to live not live to work! It was your choice to take metal fabrication job you were not forced to do that!

As far as your last statement is concerned: You really don't seem to work under pressure (It was rational) So I find parallel it to what you say and what you did!
14:22 November 10, 2011 by eppie
I think Sweden is doing pretty fine economically while at the same time ensuring a better quality of life and caring for the next generations.

If it is other work ethics you want (based on fear of losing a job like in the south of europe or the US) that is fine with me but please don't say people in those countries are dpoing a better job....because they don't.

By the way, I don't get paid for fika time.
17:00 November 10, 2011 by cogito
Abe #2 and repat-expat #14

The men on paternity leave are so enthralled with their own breeding skills they are unaware that their co-workers, though they grin and bear it, in reality consider them slackers. They dump their work on colleagues while expecting admiration for what is nothing more than a life-style choice.

To the topic: A job in Sweden resembles therapy more than work.
19:32 November 10, 2011 by Token-not-found
@cognito

It isn't just a life style choice, it's THE LIFE choice.

Europe already has unsustainable birth rates.

Without children even the corporate nightmare (you so praise) wouldn't exist , nothing would exist, our world would end in a few decades if enough people don't have children.

If you want to keep the world (in the most concrete sense), that is a "burden" you will have to live with.
03:03 November 11, 2011 by soultraveler3
Sweden does NOT have a low unemployment rate. People studying and doing praktik are not employed but are often counted as that here. It's a bs figure.

It honestly makes me want to laugh when Swedes say or believe that they are hardworking.

The amount of laziness, incompetence, entitlement and the lack of responsibility, discipline and motivation are just staggering here in Sweden. People do 2 hours of actual work during an eight hour day and think they're accomplishing something.

Customer service is nonexistent in Sweden; getting anything done in a timely manner or finding someone in charge (that will actually take responsibility) when something is wrong is next to impossible. For some reason, half the workers in Sweden have apparently suffered some sort of trauma and are only able to work 20-60% of the time, even though they're employed as full-time. (Another possible reason the figures are so screwed up?) The other half are usually too busy taking one of their multiple fikas, checking Facebook on their phones, finishing up their conversation about what happened over the weekend etc. to even bother asking if you need assistance, while some are busy purposely ignoring you so that they can have as little human interaction as possible. This can be seen at the hospitals where groups of 5+ nurses will be sitting and laughing while there's a 3+ hour wait, the restaurants where waitstaff have to finish up their 10 min conversation before seating guests or taking orders, the retail stores where employees will run into / push past you instead of saying excuse me etc. etc.

Anyone who thinks Swedes are hard-working or participating in the rat race have no idea what a normal day's work is for most of the world. Many, if put in the situation of having to work elsewhere, would probably find themselves fired rather quickly.

Putting people first and having decent benefits is great, but Swedes don't work for it, it's given to them. Few realize how easy they have it here.
12:01 November 11, 2011 by aloise
ferretlegs

Very nice post,and..... from an Ex Brit, who also found love and a very good life here in Sweden.......would like to use parts of your postings for a forum in the USA....OK

George
13:18 November 11, 2011 by Lavaux
Does the term "work ethic" describe the moral imperative to work or the moral motives for working? Anders Jonsson seems to believe that "work ethic" describes the moral motives for working, and that achieving career success and status are not among them. Doug Lansky, on the other hand, hews to the original description of *work ethic* as the moral imperative to work as opposed to sloth - one of the seven deadly sins.

I hold with Doug Lansky, being an American raised to believe that hard work, daring and a little luck can take a man a long way towards fulfilling his dreams, whatever they may be. Of course this philosophy doesn't sell very well to those who think of work as what they must do when they're not vacationing, but then this lot are never keen to scrub their own hotel toilets, either.

As a thought exercise, envision a society organized around the principle that work should be minimized at all costs, freeing up individuals to invest as much time and resources as possible in pursuits believed to produce physical and spiritual well-being. What kind of people would such a society produce, and what would happen to it when it runs out of money? The PIGS will soon find out.
19:31 November 11, 2011 by sushi_and_sweden
as EricK and stenhuggaren says ferretlegs you are wonderful. (i feel like i can even skip my parent leave for you now)
20:23 November 11, 2011 by Nysvensk
ferretlegs is absolutely right. I have lived in Sweden for over 30 years--it takes a while to get to know how the system works and why it works the way it does. Swedes are extremely efficient workers. To get into many positions a Swede needs to be very hard-working and well-qualified. Swedes are very well-educated thanks to the benefits of the free college education. You cannot be either lazy or stupid to get into a good academic program in Sweden. Swedes know how to work but they also know how to relax. So, what is wrong with that? Many Swedes also believe that hard work and a little luck can get you far in fulfilling your dreams as well. Look at the guy who developed Skype? Or IKEA? or EF? Considering that there are only 9 million people in Sweden, I think Swedes accomplish quite a bit.
21:58 November 11, 2011 by skogsbo
maybe unemployment is lower because 3 swedish workers (any nationality) do the same volume of work as say 2 UK/US, purely beause of the hours put. It is funed through products costing more and more tax. BUT the system works. Less people walking the streets, less crime etc..

Sure as eggs are eggs, we will all die, how much time you spend working or doing something more enjoyable is your choice. Live in Sweden, you'll enjoy your spare time and family more. Work in the UK, have a house full of material items and kids you never see, because you're flogging on all the time. It's an easy choice for any family person on which system works.

You can't fight the Swedish ethic ,but why would you want to?
07:29 November 12, 2011 by ferretlegs
George, feel free to use what you want. Nice comments from many of you, makes me think I am doing something right.

As for writing an article, how would I do that... I like this topic!
09:21 November 12, 2011 by Lavaux
Nysvensk:

Swedes are well educated because their college education is free? For whom? Not for the taxpayers, to be sure, particularly those taxpayers who couldn't get into college yet must pay for others to go. I suggest you consult the economic research showing that taxpayer funded higher education is inherently regressive because kids from lower income families invariably have a lower attendance rate than kids from middle and upper income families.

If college weren't free, would Swedes not go? If you answer yes, then your answer would apply to Americans as well. Thing is, American universities are full of students incurring massive debt to go. Hmm ... seems like people who want a college education will go to college regardless of who pays.

It's not surprising that your view of the world crumbles when it must bear the burden of facts and reason. This is also happening to the OWS rabble, who have discovered that they've incurred $100,000 in debt for a useless degree that employers ignore. The same will happen to the Swedish worldview as competition with emerging economies ramps up. I'm still amazed by Swedes who believe that they get paid not to work, that university and health care are free, and that their system is clearly the best ever devised.
16:08 November 12, 2011 by pemberj
Consistently amazed by people on this forum. Why do so many of you live here if you despise it so much.
20:03 November 12, 2011 by matereo
Id say thanks to this people have time and many use that time to be creative more often outside the normal family/work structure... Its a small nation but the innovative strength is in society is very good.
13:58 November 13, 2011 by GeoC
@smartone, you are truly a contradiction in terms aren't you? ;)
17:46 November 13, 2011 by yourkidding
@ soultraveler3 #28

Exactly.

@ pemberj #36

Maybe we don't want to be stuck in North Korea with the internet, but our companies sent us here or we just happened to fall in love with a Swede and end up here. Believe me, we are NOT all here by choice.
21:29 November 13, 2011 by Douglas Garner
I feel that the comments throughout this topic are among the best consider and honest responses I have ever read in The Local! Well done, group. As for my two cents...

There are great opinions on both sides of the commitment scale, but not much discussion related to the work tasks or managerial level associated with the opinion. I suspect that if we look at the issues of paternal leave, overtime, extra holidays, etc. from a mid to low level workers, or production workers standpoint, (WORK TO LIVE, NOT LIVE TO WORK) these things are great, motivational, and an important part of the culture. Redundancy of skills and less dependence upon the INDIVIDUAL is a major factor. Workers that exceed the standards of performance are frequently seen as "making coworkers feel bad" about theselves, and as not being team players. Cultural misfits to be weeded out.

On the other hand, if we look at these entitlements from a senior management or driven team leader viewpoint, they are major disruptions in the continuity of work and natural progress, or consistency of leadership. Now we are talking about leaders/managers with a shared vision. Life is about the accomplishment. Fun, pride, personal satisfaction and self image are all wrapped up here. The world has alotl of high and over-achievers. Without them, few new companies would be formed, discoveries made, or limits pushed.

Which is right? I say both! But we need a culture that recognises both and allows each to thrive. Entitlements say the companies have responsibilities to workers and workers families. But most of us have probably met the person who just accepted a new job only to go on paternal leave a month later... I think that is a bit of dishonesty, or at least irresponsibility on the part of the worker.
12:58 November 14, 2011 by josemari
It's really a good place to improve my english here.
13:08 November 15, 2011 by sodafox
It seems some people look at work as a way of life... personally I think it's a means to an ends. Sweden has got the balance right with leave, entitlements and financial compensation.

To discriminate against families is not only illegal but in a greater sense it is morally wrong and plain short sighted. The children of today will one day inherit this planet. The only way to ensure our forward movement is to nurture and encourage humility and understanding from an early age.

It's important for us as a society to encourage the care and development of our children since they will be the leaders of tomorrow. Perhaps if this had happened in other countries decades ago, the planet wouldn't be in such as mess as it is now.

A child that feels loved and secure in their environment grows up to be confident and well adjusted. Personally these are the types of individuals that I want to be making decisions on my behalf when I get too old to.

Those that feel that Swedes take too much time off are in my opinion compensating for other deficiencies in their lives. It's OK not to understand this phenomenon however don't criticize it until you understand the long-term benefits it creates.

Life is short and if work is the only way you can define yourself then Sweden is not the problem...
11:38 November 16, 2011 by Grokh
i think we should all strive to work like robots 20 hours a day and sell our kids to pay debts.

now seriously what kind of moron comes and questions peoples holidays as if they were something lazy ? by what standards? by standards of slaves everyone is lazy.

if someone works hard 8 + hours a day 5 days a week arent they entitled to weekend off? and holiday once a year ?

who says the human mind was made to work nonstop for low pay and only have time to eat and sleep.

in my country ive had jobs where i would do 14 hours a day, 30 days a month . and at the end of the month they didnt pay me, that lasted for 2 months and i had to go to court to get my money 8 months later.

i prefer the "lazy way"
13:08 November 16, 2011 by bcarroll
Swedes tend to have a higher quality of life and a longer lifespan than we do here in the U.S. I attribute this largely to the generous social benefits (including long maternity/paternity leave) and not having to work themselves into an early grave. I know many white collar workers here in the US who are encouraged to work 80-90 hour weeks (while salaried) just to stay competitive to be able to get promotions. What doe this result in? No kids, no family, just work, work, work... then you die. I'd rather be a "lazy" Swede paying too much tax and getting a lower paycheck.
13:30 November 16, 2011 by djmarko
Definitely one of the better threads in recent months, was getting quite bored with the usual threads that crops up about immigration and what not!! I guess there has to be a balance between work and personal life, seems Sweden has got that bit right, back in the UK, i worked myself to the ground, was still not appreciated for my hard work, I love the Swedish red days or bank holidays as we call it in the UK, sometimes we need time to take one mind off work and just relax, definitely enjoyed my working life in Sweden so far, A country that can produce spotify, Skype, Ikea is definitely not a lazy country!!!
06:33 November 17, 2011 by skatty
The answer is: hardly, working hard at work.
04:45 November 18, 2011 by biddi
Every time we went to a company (in Sweden) for service we were told :

Han ar pa semester, hon ar sjukskriven, hon ar pa kaffe paus,

han pa lunch ...... when we phoned on the mobile, we were number 66 in the queue ...... God give me patience!!
10:21 November 18, 2011 by JECU
It is not simply about vacation periods, wage levels, etc. but work output (productivity). Although United States workers are the world's most productive, when measured per hour rather than total hours worked, Norwegians are more productive. Annual working hours per person is much higher in US than in most European countries.

Since 1990, Sweden has performed fast labor productivity growth in private sector although public sector shows little improvement.

OECD statistics on labor productivity show that Nordic countries are among the highest http://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DatasetCode=LEVEL

Productivity is based on human and technological resources and how these are used. Sweden has strong regulations to protect intellectual property, promotes competition in most sectors, is well equipped with transportation infrastructure, information and communication technology, and has comparatively high levels of education and skills of workforce, transparency in public and private sector, among other advantages.

In 2010 Sweden was ranked second most competitive nation in the world by the World Economic Forum.
14:31 November 18, 2011 by s_noelle21
Reading through some of the comments I can see that a few of you men are going to have a hard time finding a wife who will put up with your disinterest in spending important time with your children...

I have encountered colleagues & employees in Sweden who have both poor & high work ethic in the 6 years I've worked here - same as I found working in San Francisco, where I am from. My conclusion is that people are individuals around the world & if any of you are dissatisfied with the team you work with, you need to keep looking for a work environment that suits you better.
10:07 November 19, 2011 by loverefugee
fun to read all the points of view, but by the time I got to this point I forgot what the question was! ;-). oh yeah, is the Swedish work ethic a contributing factor to current economic situation (described as pretty good) or a hindrance to greater growth? I'll skip that question too and just throw in my two cents worth

my credentials: 12 years in-country (this being the 2nd tour of duty so to speak), hundreds of thousands of tax kronor paid, been manager for quite a few swedes, Swedish wife and children who are all dual nationals...and I usually sum it up like this for our inquiring friends:

Sweden: some things good, some things bad (depends on what you value) if you are an ex-pat with a choice for Pete's sake don't hang around whining, go back to, or somewhere else, where your values are reflected in the system. and for everyone, heed the words of the famous person who advised "Be the change you seek in the world"
20:48 November 19, 2011 by arwenxu
A lot of people argueing for the Swedish system seem to think that Swedes are people that have found the perfect balance between family life and work and therefore live happier lives than those who work a lot and never see their kids.

You people seem to have completely missed out on the statistics of the amount of Swedish people that end up in a "utmattningsdepression" or take a long-term sick leave due to "utbrändhet". About 100 people get the diagnosis "utmattningsdepression" every day in Sweden and these people generally end up in sick-leaves that lasts many many years. There are currently more procent of the population in "long-term sick leave" than unemployed!

So, why would so many people in a system that is generally viewed as lazy by the rest of the world end up in exhaustion-caused depressions? Long parental leaves and multiple fika pauses per day surely isn't making the working population happier and more content with their situation.
09:51 November 22, 2011 by Nomark
@arwenxu

You are not comparing like with like Compared with the rest of the world it has historically been easier in Sweden to get signed off with a long term health condition. Furthermore, previous governments used long term sickness and early retirement as a parking place for the unemployment to keep the jobless figures low. This is very well known.

Its not that people have "completely missed out on the statistics", rather that you have failed to provide even the most cursory of interpretation of them.
21:10 November 22, 2011 by Social Hypocrisy
Im not sure I would agree that swedes have it easy. My opinion is that swedes are forced to work twice as hard as their european neighbours because they cost twice as much to employ.

Whenever they ask for a wage increase, employers just increase the work load. I dont think that the swedes wages are anything special either when you consider that the majority are working 150%.

I cant remember the statistic but parts of sweden have the highest percentage of unclaimed/payed overtime as well as having a huge amount of burnt out people on wellfare.
06:36 November 25, 2011 by Douglas Garner
"If you want to be happy, set a goal that

commands your thoughts, liberates your

energy, and inspires your hopes."

- Andrew Carnegie
17:19 November 27, 2011 by Anglosaxon123
If the Swedes are working fewer hours, studying longer, enjoying more holiday leave, than anywhere else - I would like to ask one question. Why is your suicide rate much higher than most of the other EU countries?
09:57 December 2, 2011 by JECU
Although suicide rates in Finland and Sweden are relatively high, there are several other countries and regions with much higher rates. Rates from World Health Organization are based on available data of deaths officially recorded as suicides. I wonder if other countries record and report suicide deaths as openly and meticulously as Sweden.

On the other hand, there are many way to suicide: lifestyle, bad eating habits, drug abuse, car "accidents" driving drunk, domestic violence, HIV and other preventable infections, diseases caused by lack of education, public services and medical care. Also by delinquency, social insurgence, revolutions, suicidal attacks, etc.

Of course there is no such thing as "paradise country" but Sweden enjoys one of the highest life expectancies in the world.
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