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How much do machine operators, meat- and fish-processing earn in Sweden?

Machine operators, meat- and fish-processing. 4,400 people employed in Sweden.

32,200SEK

per month is the median salary for machine operators, meat- and fish-processing in Sweden in 2025. That is 16% lower than the median across all jobs in the country, 38,300 SEK.

+6.3% since 2024

≈ €2,850 / $3,300 at September 2026 exchange rates, before tax.

That is roughly 25,926 SEK after tax in an average municipality, without the church fee.

≈ 186 SEK an hour · 386,400 SEK a year

The hourly figure is the monthly salary divided by 173.3 hours (40 hours a week × 52 weeks / 12 months); the yearly figure is twelve times the monthly salary.

The mean monthly salary for machine operators, meat- and fish-processing in Sweden is 33,000 SEK (2025). The median salary is 32,200 SEK. The lowest-paid 10% earn under 29,100 SEK and the highest-paid 10% over 37,800 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
33,000 SEK
Mean gross monthly salary
Lowest 10%
29,100 SEK
Earn less than this
Highest 10%
37,800 SEK
Earn more than this
People employed
4,400
Statistics Sweden's occupational register 2024

The pay range

How monthly salaries are distributed among machine operators, meat- and fish-processing in Sweden. The same scale is used in the tables further down.

29,100 SEKLowest 10%32,200 SEKMedian37,800 SEKHighest 10%
Light band: the middle 80 per cent. Dark band: the middle half, earning 29,500–34,900 SEK. The red line is the median salary across all jobs in Sweden.

Machine operators, meat- and fish-processing: starting salary

Statistics Sweden publishes no starting-salary figures. The closest proxies are what the youngest people in the job earn and where the lower end of the pay distribution sits.

The youngest in the job, aged 18–24, earn 32,000 SEK a month on average — roughly 25,800 SEK after tax in an average municipality.

Starting-salary proxies, before and after tax
Before tax After tax
Average, aged 18–24 32,000 SEK 25,776 SEK
Average, aged 25–34 32,400 SEK 26,077 SEK
Lowest 10% earn less than 29,100 SEK 23,588 SEK
Lowest 25% earn less than 29,500 SEK 23,890 SEK

These are proxies, not starting salaries. An age band holds both people who have just started and people ten years into the job, and the lowest paid are not always newcomers. The collective-agreement minimum and an individual offer can sit above or below.

Machine operators, meat- and fish-processing: pay in the private and public sector

What machine operators, meat- and fish-processing 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 33,000 SEK 32,200 SEK 32,400 SEK 31,600 SEK
Private sector 33,000 SEK 32,200 SEK 32,400 SEK 31,600 SEK

Machine operators, meat- and fish-processing: salary after tax in Sweden

What machine operators, meat- and fish-processing actually take home depends on which municipality they live in. The table shows what 32,200 SEK a month comes to after tax in a few of them.

That is roughly 25,926 SEK after tax in an average municipality, without the church fee.

32,200 SEK a month after tax, by municipality
Municipality Municipal and regional tax After tax
Average municipality 32.38% 25,926 SEK
Stockholm 30.55% 26,344 SEK
Göteborg 32.60% 25,884 SEK
Malmö 32.42% 25,919 SEK
Österåker (lowest tax) 28.93% 26,588 SEK
Dorotea (highest tax) 35.65% 25,299 SEK
  • The youngest in the job, aged 18–24 years, earn 32,000 SEK before tax — roughly 25,776 SEK after.
  • The best paid 10% earn more than 37,800 SEK, which is roughly 30,150 SEK after tax.

Calculate the salary after tax for machine operators, meat- and fish-processing

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, meat- and fish-processing

Pay for men and women

Median salary for men and women
Gender 30,000 38,000 Median pay Number
Men 32,400 SEK 2,900
Women 31,600 SEK 1,500

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.

Machine operators, meat- and fish-processing: salary by age

Pay for machine operators, meat- and fish-processing normally rises with years in the job.

Monthly salary by age
Age 30,000 38,000 Average pay Men Women Number
18–24 years 32,000 SEK 32,000 SEK – –
25–34 years 32,400 SEK 32,600 SEK 32,000 SEK –
35–44 years 32,700 SEK 32,700 SEK 32,800 SEK –
45–54 years 33,100 SEK 33,500 SEK 32,400 SEK –
55–64 years 34,700 SEK 35,800 SEK 33,000 SEK 840

Pay by level of education

Monthly salary by level of education
Level of education 30,000 38,000 Average pay Men Women Number
Primary and secondary education less than 9 years (ISCED97 1) 31,800 SEK 31,600 SEK 32,400 SEK –
Primary and secondary education 9-10 years (ISCED97 2) 33,700 SEK 34,400 SEK 31,500 SEK –
Upper secondary education, 2 years or less (ISCED97 3C) 33,400 SEK 33,400 SEK 33,400 SEK 1,100
Upper secondary education 3 years (ISCED97 3A) 33,100 SEK 33,400 SEK 32,400 SEK 1,300
Post-secondary education, less than 3 years (ISCED97 4+5B) 33,500 SEK 33,500 SEK – 350
Post-secondary education 3 years or more (ISCED97 5A) 33,000 SEK – – 280

Machine operators, meat- and fish-processing: salary 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 38,000 Average pay Men Women Number
East-Central Sweden 34,100 SEK 34,400 SEK 33,700 SEK 1,200
Småland and islands 35,900 SEK 36,300 SEK 35,200 SEK 640
South Sweden 31,900 SEK 32,000 SEK 31,700 SEK –
West Sweden 32,100 SEK 32,700 SEK 30,800 SEK –

Machine operators, meat- and fish-processing: 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 24,200 SEK in 2014 to 32,200 SEK in 2025, +33% 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 8161, “maskinoperatörer, kött- och fiskberedningsindustri”. These are the titles you will actually meet in Swedish job ads.

  • Aromblandare
  • Autoklavskötare, livsmedel
  • Charkarbetare, tillverkning
  • Charkuteriarbetare, tillverkning
  • Charkuterist, industriell tillverkning
  • Djurfoderberedare
  • Filéoperatör
  • Filéskärare
  • Fileterare
  • Fiskberedare
  • Fiskfabriksarbetare
  • Fiskmatberedare
  • Fiskrensare, konservering
  • Färdigmatlagare
  • Industrikock
  • Infrysare
  • Konservarbetare, kött och fisk
  • Konservkokare
  • Livsmedelsarbetare, kött o. fiskberedning
  • Maskinoperatör, kött- och fiskberedning
  • Maskinoperatör, livsmedelsindustri, kött och fisk
  • Råvaruberedare, konservindustri
  • Rökare, livsmedelsindustri
  • Saltare, konservtillverkning
  • Steriliserare, konservering
  • Såsberedare

Frequently asked questions

How much do machine operators, meat- and fish-processing earn in 2026?

The latest figures are Statistics Sweden's salary structure statistics for 2025, published on 16 June 2026. The median salary was then 32,200 SEK a month before tax, against 30,300 SEK the year before (2024) — +6.3%. Figures for 2026 are normally published in June 2027; until then the 2025 figures are the latest there are, and we do not project our own.

What is the median salary for machine operators, meat- and fish-processing in Sweden?

The median salary for machine operators, meat- and fish-processing in Sweden is 32,200 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, meat- and fish-processing sit 16% lower than the typical job.

How much do machine operators, meat- and fish-processing earn after tax?

The median salary for machine operators, meat- and fish-processing is 32,200 SEK a month before tax. In an average Swedish municipality, without the church fee and for someone under 66, that works out at roughly 25,900 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, meat- and fish-processing?

The average (33,000 SEK) is the mean of every salary and is pulled upwards by the highest earners. The median (32,200 SEK) is the salary in the middle of the scale and usually gives a better picture of what machine operators, meat- and fish-processing typically earn.

What is the starting salary for machine operators, meat- and fish-processing in Sweden?

Statistics Sweden does not publish starting salaries as such. The closest figure is the youngest people in the job: machine operators, meat- and fish-processing aged 18–24 years earn 32,000 SEK per month on average. The lowest-paid 10% in the job earn less than 29,100 SEK. More in the section “Machine operators, meat- and fish-processing: starting salary” above.

How high can the salary go for machine operators, meat- and fish-processing?

The highest-paid 10% in the job earn more than 37,800 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, meat- and fish-processing in Sweden?

Women's average salary is 98% of men's in this job. The median salary is 32,400 SEK for men and 31,600 SEK for women. The figure is not adjusted for differences in age, sector or working hours.

Where in Sweden do machine operators, meat- and fish-processing earn the most?

Pay is highest in Småland and islands, where machine operators, meat- and fish-processing earn 35,900 SEK per month on average.

Jobs with similar pay

Other jobs in machine operators, food and related products

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