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How much do machine operators, chemical and photographic products earn in Sweden?

Machine operators, chemical and photographic products. 1,400 people employed in Sweden.

42,400SEK

per month is the median salary for machine operators, chemical and photographic products in Sweden in 2025. That is 11% higher than the median across all jobs in the country, 38,300 SEK.

≈ €3,750 / $4,350 at September 2026 exchange rates, before tax.

That is roughly 33,413 SEK after tax in an average municipality, without the church fee.

The average salary for machine operators, chemical and photographic products in Sweden is 42,600 SEK per month (2025). The median salary is 42,400 SEK. The lowest-paid 10% earn under 31,600 SEK and the highest-paid 10% over 53,900 SEK.

Figures are gross monthly salary before tax, converted to full time. Income tax in Sweden is roughly 30–34% for most earners, plus a national surtax on income above about 51,000 SEK a month.

Average pay
42,600 SEK
Mean gross monthly salary
Lowest 10%
31,600 SEK
Earn less than this
Highest 10%
53,900 SEK
Earn more than this
People employed
1,400
In this job in Sweden

The pay range

How monthly salaries are distributed among machine operators, chemical and photographic products in Sweden. The same scale is used in the tables further down.

31,600 SEKLowest 10%42,400 SEKMedian53,900 SEKHighest 10%
Light band: the middle 80 per cent. Dark band: the middle half, earning 35,700–48,800 SEK. The red line is the median salary across all jobs in Sweden.

Pay in the private and public sector

What machine operators, chemical and photographic products earn depends a great deal on who the employer is.

Monthly salary by sector and gender
Sector Average pay Median pay Men Women
All sectors 42,600 SEK 42,400 SEK 43,000 SEK 41,500 SEK
Private sector 42,600 SEK 42,400 SEK 43,000 SEK 41,500 SEK

Salary after tax

What machine operators, chemical and photographic products actually take home depends on which municipality they live in. Between the cheapest and the most expensive one the difference is several hundred kronor a month.

That is roughly 33,413 SEK after tax in an average municipality, without the church fee.

  • The youngest in the job, aged 25–34 years, earn 41,900 SEK before tax — roughly 33,077 SEK after.
  • The best paid 10% earn more than 53,900 SEK, which is roughly 41,156 SEK after tax.

Calculate the salary after tax for machine operators, chemical and photographic products

The figures assume an average municipality, no church fee and an age under 66. The calculator takes your own municipality into account.

And if the job goes? Work out unemployment benefit for machine operators, chemical and photographic products

Pay for men and women

Median salary for men and women
Gender 30,000 55,000 Median pay Number
Men 43,000 SEK 1,100
Women 41,500 SEK 280

Women's average salary is 98% of men's average salary in this job.

Statistics Sweden calculates the ratio on average monthly salary, while the table above shows median salaries, so the two do not line up exactly. The figure is also unadjusted: it does not account for differences in age, sector or position.

Pay by age

Pay for machine operators, chemical and photographic products normally rises with years in the job.

Monthly salary by age
Age 30,000 55,000 Average pay Men Women Number
25–34 years 41,900 SEK 42,300 SEK – 330
35–44 years 42,900 SEK 42,800 SEK – 260
45–54 years 43,400 SEK 43,500 SEK – 310
55–64 years 44,000 SEK 44,300 SEK – 350

Pay by level of education

Monthly salary by level of education
Level of education 30,000 55,000 Average pay Men Women Number
Upper secondary education, 2 years or less (ISCED97 3C) 43,500 SEK 43,800 SEK – 360
Upper secondary education 3 years (ISCED97 3A) 42,200 SEK 42,500 SEK 41,400 SEK 630
Post-secondary education, less than 3 years (ISCED97 4+5B) 44,800 SEK 45,700 SEK – 180

Pay by region

Statistics Sweden reports pay by job at the level of national areas (NUTS 2), not by county.

Monthly salary by region
Region 30,000 55,000 Average pay Men Women Number
East-Central Sweden 41,900 SEK 41,600 SEK 42,500 SEK 380
South Sweden 38,600 SEK – – 120
West Sweden 48,200 SEK 48,600 SEK – 320
Central Norrland 46,900 SEK 47,200 SEK – 230

Pay growth 2014–2025

Median salary per year. Years with no reported median are skipped. The dashed line marks the break between the older and the newer series at Statistics Sweden; comparisons across it should be made with care.

From 27,300 SEK in 2014 to 42,400 SEK in 2025, +55% in total. Nominal figures, not adjusted for inflation. The lighter part of the line, the years before 2023, comes from an older set of statistics at Statistics Sweden and is not fully comparable with the later years.

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Swedish job titles in this occupation

Statistics Sweden files the following Swedish job titles under SSYK 8132, “maskinoperatörer, kemisktekniska och fotografiska produkter”. These are the titles you will actually meet in Swedish job ads.

  • Ammoniakkokare
  • Ammunitionsarbetare
  • Avsynare, kemiska produkter
  • Batteriskötare, elektrokemi
  • Blandarskötare, sprängämnesindustri
  • Blandningsuppvägare, sprängämnesindustri
  • Destruktionsmaskinist
  • Elektrofilterskötare
  • Filmskarvare
  • Filmtekniker, framkallning, kopiering
  • Fotoframkallare
  • Fotokopist
  • Fotolaborant
  • Fotolaboratoriearbetare
  • Fotolaboratoriebiträde
  • Fotoretuschör
  • Fototekniker, framkallning o. kopiering
  • Framkallare
  • Fyrverkeriarbetare
  • Hartskokare
  • Kassettkopist
  • Koksbrännare
  • Kolare, övrig
  • Kopieringsbiträde
  • Kopieringskontorist
  • Kopieringsmaskinskötare
  • Kopist, foto-
  • Kopist, ritbiträde
  • Krutbruksarbetare
  • Laboratorieassistent, fotolab.
  • Laboratorieassistent, fotolaboratorium
  • Laboratoriebiträde, fotolab.
  • Laboratoriebiträde, fotolaboratorium
  • Lackkokare
  • Ljusformare
  • Ljuskopist
  • Ljusstöpare
  • Maskinist, destruktion
  • Maskinoperatör, CD-tillverkning
  • Maskinoperatör, fonogramtillverkning
  • Maskinoperatör, fotografiska produkter
  • Maskinoperatör, kemitekniska produkter
  • Maskinoperatör, sprängämnen
  • Mesabrännare
  • Mikrofilmare
  • Mikrokopist
  • Mörkrumsarbetare
  • Negativklippare
  • Punktskriftskopist
  • Pyrotekniker, tillverkning
  • Pyroteknisk arbetare
  • Retuschör, foto
  • Ritbiträde
  • Sprayare, kemisk industri
  • Sprängämnesarbetare
  • Tjärkokare

Frequently asked questions

What is the median salary for machine operators, chemical and photographic products in Sweden?

The median salary for machine operators, chemical and photographic products in Sweden is 42,400 SEK per month before tax (2025). That means half earn less and half earn more. The median across all jobs in Sweden is 38,300 SEK, so machine operators, chemical and photographic products sit 11% higher than the typical job.

How much do machine operators, chemical and photographic products earn after tax?

The median salary for machine operators, chemical and photographic products is 42,400 SEK a month before tax. In an average Swedish municipality, without the church fee and for someone under 66, that works out at roughly 33,413 SEK after tax. The exact figure depends on which municipality you live in — our salary-after-tax calculator works it out.

What is the difference between average and median pay for machine operators, chemical and photographic products?

The average (42,600 SEK) is the mean of every salary and is pulled upwards by the highest earners. The median (42,400 SEK) is the salary in the middle of the scale and usually gives a better picture of what machine operators, chemical and photographic products typically earn.

What is the starting salary for machine operators, chemical and photographic products in Sweden?

Statistics Sweden does not publish starting salaries as such. The closest figure is the youngest people in the job: machine operators, chemical and photographic products aged 25–34 years earn 41,900 SEK per month on average. The lowest-paid 10% in the job earn less than 31,600 SEK.

How high can the salary go for machine operators, chemical and photographic products?

The highest-paid 10% in the job earn more than 53,900 SEK per month. Pay is shaped by sector, experience, level of education and where in the country you work.

Is there a gender pay gap among machine operators, chemical and photographic products in Sweden?

Women's average salary is 98% of men's in this job. The median salary is 43,000 SEK for men and 41,500 SEK for women. The figure is not adjusted for differences in age, sector or working hours.

Where in Sweden do machine operators, chemical and photographic products earn the most?

Pay is highest in West Sweden, where machine operators, chemical and photographic products earn 48,200 SEK per month on average.

Jobs with similar pay

Other jobs in machine operators, chemical and pharmaceutical products

See the whole occupational group Machine operators, chemical and pharmaceutical products or mechanical manufacturing and transport workers, etc.