Mikael Sjöberg new head of the Swedish Public Employment Service

When Mikael Sjöberg was introduced at a press conference on 27 February he said “trust” was the most important issue for the Public Employment Service.

The state authority has been criticised for not getting more people into work. The day before Sjöberg’s appointment, the Employment Service called in 61,000 people in error for an information meeting meant for 1,400. The result: chaos at Tunnelgatan in central Stockholm.

It is hard to paint a clearer picture of how many people are looking for jobs and of a failing authority.

Now Mikael Sjöberg wants to get to grips with the problems and opportunities. 

“I feel proud and humble. It is a large and complex authority I am now about to head. It is a meaningful yet challenging task,” he says.

Sweden tops Nordic unemployment tables with 8.6 percent. 

“Mikael Sjöberg’s long and broad experience from leading positions in Swedish public administration will be valuable for the work the Public Employment Service will continue to do in order to get more people into jobs and to allow more employers to hire,” says the Minister for Employment.

Mikael Sjöberg is 46. From 1994 he worked as a government civil servant. In 2005 he took on the job as Director-General of the then National Institute for Working Life. Two years later he became Director-General of the Swedish Work Environment Authority. He is a cousin of former Swedish Prime Minister Göran Persson.