Sweden boasts some of the best benefits in the world such as affordable healthcare, generous vacation time and free education. It truly is a haven for social welfare and high living standards.
But while the country has the highest tax rates globally, it also offers impressive, lucrative careers paths. In fact, Sweden has been ranked as one of the best countries to work in.
Whether you plan on moving to Sweden to embark on a well-paid career abroad, or you are merely interested in knowing which professionals make a killing, here’s a list of the top 10 highest-paying jobs in Sweden.
10. Marketing director
Average monthly salary: 60,400 SEK (£5,200/ $7,100)
If you’ve studied marketing or currently work in your company’s marketing department, strive for that promotion because becoming a marketing director could earn you big bucks! Of course, sufficient experience is required, alongside a bachelor’s or master’s qualification in marketing or business studies.
Marketing directors have the responsibility of increasing revenue and generating business for the organisations they work for. Their day-to-day tasks involve building strategies to enhance company branding and image, which may entail preparing marketing plans, campaigns and events, budgets, and the analysis of market and company competitors.
9. Pilot
Average monthly salary: 67,100 SEK (£5,800/ $8,000)
It’s no surprise that the professionals who fly high are also the most paid workers in Sweden. Indeed, the job of a pilot pays a great salary of up to 102,000 Swedish Krona. As in any country, pilots requires extensive training and licenses as it involves transporting passengers on an ongoing basis and being responsible for their lives.
Pilots train in flight schools, embark on aviation-related college degree programmes, airline cadet pilot programmes, or join the Swedish Air Force. They also require a student pilot license (SPL) and private pilot license (PPL) to embark on this career.
8. College professor
Average monthly salary: 80,600 SEK (£6,960/ $9,500)
Those who are drawn to teaching and have a passion for education can become college professors. These professionals teach students, but they also perform research, produce scholarly publications in the subject they specialise in, and present at academic conferences.
Teaching at a post-secondary level offers a high salary, but it doesn’t come easy. To become a professor, you will need a bachelor’s and a master’s degree, and often, a PhD degree. College professors must also have more than 10 years of experience under their belt.
7. Orthodontist
Average monthly salary: 90,600 SEK (£7,800/ $10,700)
Orthodontists help patients improve their oral health by correcting teeth and jaw misalignments. While they may also perform a dentist’s tasks (cleaning, extracting, repairing teeth), orthodontists mainly assist their patients in correcting their bites, straightening their teeth and realigning their jaws.
To practice in Sweden, you need to embark in a professional degree in dentistry, attend dental school, and obtain a license from the National Board of Health and Welfare (Socialstyrelsen).
6. Chief financial officer
Average monthly salary: 94,000 SEK (£8,100/ $11,100)
When you have full responsibility for a company's financial actions, it’s almost certain that you would be paid a high salary to do so. In Sweden, chief financial officers (CFOs) are among the top earners, accumulating up to 143,000 Swedish Krona a month.
A CFO is in charge of managing and planning the budgets, spending, costs, taxation, and revenue of a company, which means they play a vital role in its success. To set yourself on this highly lucrative career path, you may need a CPA license and a master’s degree in accounting, finance or business administration.
5. Chief executive officer
Average monthly salary: 101,000 SEK (£8,700/ $12,000)
The job of a chief executive officer (CEO) offers excellent earning potential in Sweden due to the demanding nature of the role. As this professional is responsible for a business's overall success, it comes hand in hand with high risk, stress, personal sacrifice, and long working hours.
As the highest-ranking executive in a company, CEOs make critical corporate decisions, oversee the company strategy and goals, and become the organisation's public face. This demanding role requires you to have sufficient experience and a relevant degree in a chosen field. To become a CEO, it’s also essential that you have outstanding leadership, decision-making and managerial skills.
4. Bank manager
Average monthly salary: 107,000 SEK (£9,200/ $12,600)
The best employers in Sweden include several major financial institutions, making this particular job role worthy of its lucrative salary. Bank managers are one of Sweden's highest-paying professionals, earning up to 163,000 Swedish Krona monthlyly.
With a high responsibility job with an equal amount of risk, bank managers are accountable for the operations of bank branches, including customer service, financial objectives, distribution, sales and the training of bank personnel. With an abundance of supervising responsibilities, bank managers require proven management experience and relevant qualifications such as a bachelor’s degree in business administration.
3. Lawyer
Average monthly salary: 114,000 SEK (£9,800/ $13,500)
The third highest-paid professionals in Sweden are lawyers. These certified professionals advise and represent clients in criminal and civil proceedings, conduct research and prepare legal documents. The job of a lawyer pays well because it involves years of study, putting in long working hours, sacrificing their personal life and most importantly, protecting the lives of people and businesses facing legal issues.
Other than having sound judgement and excellent communication skills, becoming a lawyer in Sweden requires a high level of proficiency in Swedish. In order to practice law in Sweden, you must have a Bachelor of Laws degree or the Master of Laws as well as years of professional legal experience.
2. Judge
Average monthly salary: 141,000 SEK (£12,200/ $16,700)
Yet another high-paying job in the legal sphere is that of a judge. In Sweden, this is one of the best jobs and the second most lucrative career, with salaries that reach up to 214,000 Swedish Krona. Being a judge is certainly not ‘easy money’. Other than studying and training for years, this demanding position involves a variety of crucial tasks that justify its high salary.
Put simply, judges determine people’s fates. Acting as a referee of the prosecuting and defending parties, instructing the jury, listening and questioning witnesses and finally, determining the guilt or innocence of defendants is a challenging, yet high-earning job to come by in Sweden.
1. Surgeons / Doctor
Average monthly salary: 168,000 SEK (£14,500/ $19,900)
The job of a surgeon is the number one highest-paying job in Sweden – and rightly so. Working as a surgeon involves high risk and significant responsibility for patients’ lives. Extensive knowledge and experience are required, as well as a broad education and qualifications in order to succeed as a surgeon in Sweden – or anywhere else in the world for that matter.
These medical professionals work long hours, are constantly on-call, and must deal with life and death situations daily. Despite the challenging nature of this job, however, this high-demand role has a lucrative salary of up to 255,000 Swedish Krona.
Like in many other countries around the world, the highest-paying jobs in Sweden are those which require lengthy education and training, as well as dedication and great responsibility. Embarking on one of these careers certainly promises a long journey, but their hefty salaries are worth the effort and the wait.
Have you set your eyes on any of these careers? Let us know in the comment section below.
This article is an updated version of an earlier article originally published in March 2015. Currency conversions are based on rates supplied by XE.com on 4 February 2021.
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Salary Explorer 2021-02-04