The employment ratio is the share of the working age population that is employed. The employment ratio in Sweden is relatively high when compared to the average of both the EU-27 and the EU-15.
The employment ratio in Sweden increased especially during the 1970s when women were entering the Swedish labor market. However, the Swedish employment ratio is not exceptionally high. In 2009 Switzerland, Iceland, the Netherlands, Norway and Denmark had higher employment ratios compared to Sweden.
For most countries, the share of employment fell in 2009 as a consequence of the financial crisis and subsequent recession.
Comparison of employment shares in different countries should be made with some care because of differences regarding the structure of the labour markets in different countries. One example is the design of labor market programmes. Participants in some of these programmes are included in the employment statistics. Sweden has extensive labor market programs which is not the case in many other countries which of course affects the statistics.