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How much does a factory worker earn in Sweden?

Manufacturing labourers. 6,900 people employed in Sweden.

31,000SEK

per month is the median salary for a factory worker in Sweden in 2025. That is 19% lower than the median across all jobs in the country, 38,300 SEK.

+2.6% since 2024

≈ €2,750 / $3,200 at September 2026 exchange rates, before tax.

That is roughly 25,021 SEK after tax in an average municipality, without the church fee.

≈ 179 SEK an hour · 372,000 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 average salary for a factory worker in Sweden is 31,900 SEK per month (2025). The median salary is 31,000 SEK. The lowest-paid 10% earn under 27,500 SEK and the highest-paid 10% over 37,600 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
31,900 SEK
Mean gross monthly salary
Lowest 10%
27,500 SEK
Earn less than this
Highest 10%
37,600 SEK
Earn more than this
People employed
6,900
In this job in Sweden

The pay range

How monthly salaries are distributed among manufacturing labourers in Sweden. The same scale is used in the tables further down.

27,500 SEKLowest 10%31,000 SEKMedian37,600 SEKHighest 10%
Light band: the middle 80 per cent. Dark band: the middle half, earning 29,100–34,000 SEK. The red line is the median salary across all jobs in Sweden.

Factory worker 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 30,600 SEK a month on average — roughly 24,700 SEK after tax in an average municipality.

Starting-salary proxies, before and after tax
Before tax After tax
Average, aged 18–24 30,600 SEK 24,720 SEK
Average, aged 25–34 31,800 SEK 25,625 SEK
Lowest 10% earn less than 27,500 SEK 22,381 SEK
Lowest 25% earn less than 29,100 SEK 23,588 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.

Factory worker pay in the private and public sector

What manufacturing labourers 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 31,900 SEK 31,000 SEK 31,300 SEK 30,600 SEK
Private sector 31,800 SEK 31,000 SEK 31,200 SEK 30,400 SEK
Public sector 34,600 SEK 33,900 SEK 34,200 SEK 33,800 SEK
Central government 34,600 SEK 33,900 SEK 34,200 SEK 33,800 SEK

Factory worker salary after tax in Sweden

What manufacturing labourers actually take home depends on which municipality they live in. The table shows what 31,000 SEK a month comes to after tax in a few of them.

That is roughly 25,021 SEK after tax in an average municipality, without the church fee.

31,000 SEK a month after tax, by municipality
Municipality Municipal and regional tax After tax
Average municipality 32.38% 25,021 SEK
Stockholm 30.55% 25,420 SEK
Göteborg 32.60% 24,981 SEK
Malmö 32.42% 25,014 SEK
Österåker (lowest tax) 28.93% 25,652 SEK
Dorotea (highest tax) 35.65% 24,423 SEK
  • The youngest in the job, aged 18–24 years, earn 30,600 SEK before tax — roughly 24,720 SEK after.
  • The best paid 10% earn more than 37,600 SEK, which is roughly 30,000 SEK after tax.

Calculate the salary after tax for a factory worker

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 a factory worker

Pay for men and women

Median salary for men and women
Gender 27,500 37,500 Median pay Number
Men 31,300 SEK –
Women 30,600 SEK 2,500

Women's average salary is 97% 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.

Factory worker salary by age

Pay for manufacturing labourers normally rises with years in the job.

Monthly salary by age
Age 27,500 37,500 Average pay Men Women Number
18–24 years 30,600 SEK 30,800 SEK 30,200 SEK –
25–34 years 31,800 SEK 32,000 SEK 31,100 SEK 1,700
35–44 years 32,900 SEK 33,200 SEK 32,300 SEK 1,400
45–54 years 32,100 SEK 32,400 SEK 31,700 SEK 1,200
55–64 years 32,000 SEK 33,200 SEK 30,800 SEK 1,100

Pay by level of education

Monthly salary by level of education
Level of education 27,500 37,500 Average pay Men Women Number
Primary and secondary education 9-10 years (ISCED97 2) 31,800 SEK 32,100 SEK 30,800 SEK –
Upper secondary education, 2 years or less (ISCED97 3C) 32,000 SEK 32,500 SEK 31,000 SEK 1,500
Upper secondary education 3 years (ISCED97 3A) 31,700 SEK 32,000 SEK 31,200 SEK 2,900
Post-secondary education, less than 3 years (ISCED97 4+5B) 32,500 SEK 33,500 SEK 31,400 SEK 730
Post-secondary education 3 years or more (ISCED97 5A) 33,600 SEK – – –

Factory worker 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 27,500 37,500 Average pay Men Women Number
Stockholm 34,200 SEK 34,300 SEK 33,800 SEK –
East-Central Sweden 30,100 SEK – – –
Småland and islands 30,000 SEK 30,100 SEK 30,000 SEK –
South Sweden 31,900 SEK 32,500 SEK 31,100 SEK –
West Sweden 32,000 SEK 32,200 SEK 31,600 SEK –
North-Central Sweden 31,500 SEK – – –
Central Norrland 33,600 SEK – – 130

Factory worker 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 23,300 SEK in 2014 to 31,000 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 9320, “handpaketerare och andra fabriksarbetare”. These are the titles you will actually meet in Swedish job ads.

  • Ackumulatorskötare
  • Avplockare, keramikbränning
  • Brödpackare
  • Brödplockare
  • Brödräknare
  • Etiketterare
  • Fryslagerarbetare, packare
  • Gjutgodsrensare
  • Handpaketerare
  • Iläggare, glasmaskin
  • Knapparbetare
  • Konverteringsarbetare, papper
  • Korkvaruarbetare
  • Lagerarbetare, handpackare
  • Lådspikare
  • Möbelmontör, lager
  • Orderexpeditör
  • Orderplockare, manuellt
  • Packare, manuell
  • Packbiträde
  • Packhuskarl
  • Paketerare, manuell
  • Pallreparatör
  • Pallsnickare, reparation
  • Pennfabriksarbetare
  • Prismärkare
  • Produktionsrengörare
  • Rengörare, maskiner
  • Slungrensare, metall
  • Smörjare
  • Stabbläggare, brädgård
  • Stapelläggare
  • Stämplare, varumärkning
  • Tagelvaruarbetare
  • Terminalarbetare, handpackare
  • Träullsarbetare
  • Tullpackhuskarl
  • Uppslagare, gjuteri
  • Vagnsmörjare
  • Varumärkare

Frequently asked questions

How much does a factory worker 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 31,000 SEK a month before tax, against 30,200 SEK the year before (2024) — +2.6%. 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 a factory worker in Sweden?

The median salary for a factory worker in Sweden is 31,000 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 manufacturing labourers sit 19% lower than the typical job.

How much does a factory worker earn after tax?

The median salary for a factory worker is 31,000 SEK a month before tax. In an average Swedish municipality, without the church fee and for someone under 66, that works out at roughly 25,000 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 manufacturing labourers?

The average (31,900 SEK) is the mean of every salary and is pulled upwards by the highest earners. The median (31,000 SEK) is the salary in the middle of the scale and usually gives a better picture of what manufacturing labourers typically earn.

What is the starting salary for a factory worker in Sweden?

Statistics Sweden does not publish starting salaries as such. The closest figure is the youngest people in the job: manufacturing labourers aged 18–24 years earn 30,600 SEK per month on average. The lowest-paid 10% in the job earn less than 27,500 SEK. More in the section “Factory worker starting salary” above.

How high can the salary go for manufacturing labourers?

The highest-paid 10% in the job earn more than 37,600 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 manufacturing labourers in Sweden?

Women's average salary is 97% of men's in this job. The median salary is 31,300 SEK for men and 30,600 SEK for women. The figure is not adjusted for differences in age, sector or working hours.

Where in Sweden does a factory worker earn the most?

Pay is highest in Stockholm, where manufacturing labourers earn 34,200 SEK per month on average.

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