Sweden’s Centre Party wants Denmark-style student jobs to help students gain work experience before graduation, arguing that a structured link between higher education and the labour market could make it easier for young graduates to find qualified employment.
The proposal was presented on March 11 by Centre Party leader Elisabeth Thand Ringqvist, who said Sweden should make it as natural to work in a relevant sector during university studies as it is to prepare for exams. The party says the reform is aimed at students in higher education who struggle to get a foothold in the labour market despite academic qualifications.
How the Centre Party wants student jobs to work
The Centre Party is proposing a specific form of time-limited employment for students, inspired by the Danish system. Under the plan, university students would be able to work in qualified part-time roles linked to their field of study, rather than relying mainly on unrelated temporary work.
According to the party, pay should follow collective agreements, and the employment category should be regulated as a special form of limited-term contract under Sweden’s Employment Protection Act (LAS, Lagen om anställningsskydd). The broader political argument is that early professional experience can help reduce the gap between graduation and a first stable job.
The proposal also comes amid concern over a weaker labour market in Sweden. Statistics Sweden (SCB, Statistiska centralbyrån) said the country’s unemployment rate stood at 8.6% in January 2026, while the Swedish Public Employment Service (Arbetsförmedlingen) reported that 7.5% of people aged 18 to 24 were registered as unemployed in the same month.
Why Denmark’s student job model matters
In Denmark, student jobs are already an established part of university life and the transition into employment. These roles, often known as student assistant positions (studentermedhjælper), are usually part-time jobs in companies, public institutions or organisations where students carry out tasks that are directly related to their degree.
This matters because the Danish labour market is built around strong collective bargaining and a relatively flexible hiring culture. The official Study in Denmark platform notes that some students find work relevant to their studies while still enrolled, and Danish professional organisations describe student jobs as a common route into long-term employment.
The model is not a single national programme run by the state. Instead, it is a labour-market practice shaped by employers, universities and unions. In practice, it allows students to build a CV, develop workplace skills and create contacts before graduation. That is the part the Swedish Centre Party appears to want to emulate.
Danish evidence links relevant student work to later earnings
Research from Aarhus University, based on Danish administrative data covering multiple student cohorts, found that the skill content and study relevance of student work matter for labour-market outcomes after graduation. The study suggests that career-relevant work during higher education can improve later earnings and strengthen the transition from university to full-time employment.
That does not automatically mean the Danish approach can be copied directly in Sweden. Labour-market institutions differ, and Sweden would need to decide how such contracts should interact with existing employment law, universities and employer needs. Still, the Danish case offers a concrete Nordic example of how structured student employment can become part of the path into qualified work.
A wider Nordic debate on study-to-work transitions
The Swedish debate reflects a broader Nordic concern: how to ensure that higher education leads more quickly to stable and relevant jobs. For Sweden, the Centre Party’s proposal fits into a larger discussion about youth employment, graduate entry into the labour market and whether universities should be more closely connected to employers.
Whether the plan gains wider political backing remains unclear. But by pointing to Denmark, the Centre Party is placing a familiar Nordic labour-market model at the centre of Sweden’s debate over how students should move from lecture halls into working life.
