Faced with a shortage of skilled labourers in several fields, Sweden needs more than 100,000 skilled workers, giving ample opportunities to foreigners to apply for a job of their expertise, Y-Asix reported on Friday.

Fields that need skilled labourers include IT, healthcare, engineering, education, construction, manufacturing, and machine operations.

It is pertinent to mention that Swedish law requires a foreigner to be offered a salary of at least €1,220 to get a Swedish work visa.

The most in-demand jobs include:

• Doctors
• Midwives
• Civil engineers
• Police officers
• Primary school teachers
• Nursing assistants
• System analysts and IT architects
• Software and system developers
• Specialist nurses
• Special needs teachers and educators

According to the European Labour Authority, around 41% of private employers said that they had faced a workers shortage when recruiting in the last six months along with 60% of public employers who also experienced a recruitment shortage in the same period.

Other than IT, and healthcare, Sweden is also facing a shortage of workers in the construction and skilled trades, agriculture, transportation, manufacturing and machine operations sectors.

The most in-demand occupations related to these sectors include:

• Healthcare assistants
• Bus and tram drivers
• Plumbers and pipefitters
• Welders
• Carpenters and Joiners
• Manufacturing machine operators
• Mobile farm and forestry plant operators
• Agricultural and industrial machinery mechanics and repairers
• Construction workers
• Motor vehicle mechanics and repairers

Foreigners who have expertise in any specified occupation will have a higher chance of securing a Swedish work visa.