The number of people in the labor force (ages 15-74) was 5,573,000 (not seasonally adjusted), an increase of 79,000. The number of women in the labor force was 2,628,000, an increase of 35,000, and the number of men was 2,945,000, an increase with 44,000, according to Statistics Sweden.
In total, the Swedes worked 164.8 million hours per week, which meant an increase (calendar corrected) of 3 percent.
“The number of employed and worked hours continued to increase during the fourth quarter, although at a slightly lower rate than in previous quarters. This indicates a slowdown in the labor market,” writes Mikael Lundsten, statistician at the Labor Force Surveys at Statistics Sweden in a press release.