Employment in Uppsala

Uppsala is a pleasant place to both live and work in and many of the employment opportunities in and around the city are based around the fields of education and medicine, especially the increasingly important biotechnology industry. Uppsala University is one of the top employers in this part of Sweden with around 8,500 members of staff in total. As the city itself is only home to about 190,000 people, it is clear how important the university is to the local economy.

Local Economy

The commercial center of Uppsala is compact and Uppsala University is based at the heart of the city, where most of the local jobs can be found.

Sweden’s economy leans heavily toward foreign trade, with timber, hydropower and iron ore among the most important resources in the country. However, Uppsala’s economy is more dependent on academia, with medical research being particularly important in the region, which is why companies such as Pfizer have chosen to have major bases in Uppsala.

Jobs in Uppsala

With Sweden having a relatively high cost of living compared to a lot of other countries, finding the right job is one of the major challenges for those planning on working in Uppsala.

As mentioned, Uppsala University is one of the biggest employers in this part of the world and academic positions often come up and are advertised on the educational establishment’s official website.

Companies such as H&M, TeliaSonera, Adecco, Red Bull, and SLU all offer graduate jobs in Uppsala, but many young people leave the city after finishing their studies at university. General Electric is another of the local area’s most important employers and the firm regularly advertises for science and engineering candidates.

The job market in Uppsala is very competitive but the right position can be very rewarding.

Income Taxation in Uppsala

In Sweden, employees pay three levels of taxation — to the municipality, the county council, and the central government. Sweden’s taxes are commonly thought of as some of the highest in the world and its progressive income tax system means it can be expensive for high earners.

Currently, individuals earning below 18,800 SEK a year are exempt from having to pay any income tax at all, while a rate of about 31% is charged to those earning 18,800–433,900 SEK. Anyone lucky enough to be earning in excess of 433,900 SEK but below 615,700 SEK pays 31% and 20%, while individuals with a salary above 615,700 SEK pay 31% plus 25%.

However, on the plus side of such high taxes, Sweden has numerous welfare provisions, among them some of the most generous childcare benefits in the world, making Uppsala a fantastic place to have a family.