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How much do machine operators, paper products earn in Sweden?

Machine operators, paper products. 4,200 people employed in Sweden.

38,600SEK

per month is the median salary for machine operators, paper products in Sweden in 2025. That is 1% higher than the median across all jobs in the country, 38,300 SEK.

+9.7% since 2024

≈ €3,400 / $4,000 at September 2026 exchange rates, before tax.

That is roughly 30,754 SEK after tax in an average municipality, without the church fee.

≈ 223 SEK an hour · 463,200 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, paper products in Sweden is 40,300 SEK (2025). The median salary is 38,600 SEK. The lowest-paid 10% earn under 29,600 SEK and the highest-paid 10% over 52,600 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
40,300 SEK
Mean gross monthly salary
Lowest 10%
29,600 SEK
Earn less than this
Highest 10%
52,600 SEK
Earn more than this
People employed
4,200
In this job in Sweden

The pay range

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

29,600 SEKLowest 10%38,600 SEKMedian52,600 SEKHighest 10%
Light band: the middle 80 per cent. Dark band: the middle half, earning 33,100–45,200 SEK. The red line is the median salary across all jobs in Sweden.

Machine operators, paper products: 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 35,700 SEK a month on average — roughly 28,600 SEK after tax in an average municipality.

Starting-salary proxies, before and after tax
Before tax After tax
Average, aged 18–24 35,700 SEK 28,566 SEK
Average, aged 25–34 37,800 SEK 30,150 SEK
Lowest 10% earn less than 29,600 SEK 23,965 SEK
Lowest 25% earn less than 33,100 SEK 26,605 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, paper products: pay in the private and public sector

What machine operators, paper 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 40,300 SEK 38,600 SEK 39,300 SEK 35,100 SEK
Private sector 40,300 SEK 38,600 SEK 39,300 SEK 35,100 SEK

Machine operators, paper products: salary after tax in Sweden

What machine operators, paper products actually take home depends on which municipality they live in. The table shows what 38,600 SEK a month comes to after tax in a few of them.

That is roughly 30,754 SEK after tax in an average municipality, without the church fee.

38,600 SEK a month after tax, by municipality
Municipality Municipal and regional tax After tax
Average municipality 32.38% 30,754 SEK
Stockholm 30.55% 31,275 SEK
Göteborg 32.60% 30,701 SEK
Malmö 32.42% 30,744 SEK
Österåker (lowest tax) 28.93% 31,581 SEK
Dorotea (highest tax) 35.65% 29,969 SEK
  • The youngest in the job, aged 18–24 years, earn 35,700 SEK before tax — roughly 28,566 SEK after.
  • The best paid 10% earn more than 52,600 SEK, which is roughly 40,281 SEK after tax.

Calculate the salary after tax for machine operators, paper 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, paper products

Pay for men and women

Median salary for men and women
Gender 30,000 50,000 Median pay Number
Men 39,300 SEK 3,400
Women 35,100 SEK 800

Women's average salary is 91% 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, paper products: salary by age

Pay for machine operators, paper products normally rises with years in the job.

Monthly salary by age
Age 30,000 50,000 Average pay Men Women Number
18–24 years 35,700 SEK 36,300 SEK – 410
25–34 years 37,800 SEK 38,200 SEK – 860
35–44 years 40,000 SEK 40,600 SEK 37,400 SEK 810
45–54 years 41,900 SEK 42,700 SEK 38,500 SEK 870
55–64 years 42,500 SEK 43,600 SEK 38,800 SEK 1,200

Pay by level of education

Monthly salary by level of education
Level of education 30,000 50,000 Average pay Men Women Number
Primary and secondary education 9-10 years (ISCED97 2) 40,300 SEK 40,400 SEK – 500
Upper secondary education, 2 years or less (ISCED97 3C) 41,100 SEK 41,900 SEK 37,400 SEK 1,200
Upper secondary education 3 years (ISCED97 3A) 39,700 SEK 40,600 SEK 36,500 SEK 1,900
Post-secondary education, less than 3 years (ISCED97 4+5B) 41,000 SEK 41,300 SEK – 340
Post-secondary education 3 years or more (ISCED97 5A) 39,500 SEK – – 160

Machine operators, paper products: 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 50,000 Average pay Men Women Number
Stockholm 35,500 SEK – – –
East-Central Sweden 37,800 SEK 39,000 SEK 33,700 SEK –
Småland and islands 38,800 SEK 38,700 SEK – –
South Sweden 36,600 SEK 36,600 SEK – 380
West Sweden 44,200 SEK 45,000 SEK 41,100 SEK 1,800
North-Central Sweden 36,300 SEK 37,400 SEK – –

Machine operators, paper products: 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 29,100 SEK in 2014 to 38,600 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 8143, “maskinoperatörer, pappersvaruindustri”. These are the titles you will actually meet in Swedish job ads.

  • Avsynare, pappersprodukter
  • Blöjmaskinskötare
  • Kartongarbetare
  • Kartongmaskinförare
  • Kartongmaskinskötare
  • Kuvertmaskinskötare
  • Maskinoperatör, grafisk industri, pappersvaror
  • Maskinoperatör, pappersvaruindustri
  • Pappersspinnare
  • Pappersvaruarbetare
  • Påsmaskinskötare
  • Skärare, pappersvaruindustri
  • Stansare, pappersvaruindustri
  • Ställare, pappersvaruindustri
  • Säckmaskinskötare
  • Wellpappmaskinförare

Frequently asked questions

How much do machine operators, paper products 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 38,600 SEK a month before tax, against 35,200 SEK the year before (2024) — +9.7%. 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, paper products in Sweden?

The median salary for machine operators, paper products in Sweden is 38,600 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, paper products sit 1% higher than the typical job.

How much do machine operators, paper products earn after tax?

The median salary for machine operators, paper products is 38,600 SEK a month before tax. In an average Swedish municipality, without the church fee and for someone under 66, that works out at roughly 30,800 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, paper products?

The average (40,300 SEK) is the mean of every salary and is pulled upwards by the highest earners. The median (38,600 SEK) is the salary in the middle of the scale and usually gives a better picture of what machine operators, paper products typically earn.

What is the starting salary for machine operators, paper products in Sweden?

Statistics Sweden does not publish starting salaries as such. The closest figure is the youngest people in the job: machine operators, paper products aged 18–24 years earn 35,700 SEK per month on average. The lowest-paid 10% in the job earn less than 29,600 SEK. More in the section “Machine operators, paper products: starting salary” above.

How high can the salary go for machine operators, paper products?

The highest-paid 10% in the job earn more than 52,600 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, paper products in Sweden?

Women's average salary is 91% of men's in this job. The median salary is 39,300 SEK for men and 35,100 SEK for women. The figure is not adjusted for differences in age, sector or working hours.

Where in Sweden do machine operators, paper products earn the most?

Pay is highest in West Sweden, where machine operators, paper products earn 44,200 SEK per month on average.

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