Swedish au pairs from the Philippines have described long working days, double contracts and threats while working for families in some of Sweden’s wealthiest areas, according to an investigation by SVT Nyheter. The testimonies raise questions about whether Sweden’s au pair system, officially designed as a cultural exchange programme, is being used by some households as a source of low-paid domestic and childcare labour.
SVT investigation points to 12-hour shifts and double contracts
SVT spoke to Filipino women who had worked as au pairs in Sweden and said the conditions they faced differed sharply from the contracts submitted to the Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket). Under Swedish rules, an au pair from outside the EU may work a maximum of 25 hours per week with childcare and light household duties, while the purpose of the stay must remain cultural exchange.
One woman, identified by SVT under the pseudonym Tala, said her host family changed the terms shortly after she arrived in Sweden. According to her account, she received a second contract requiring her to care for a baby during the night, administer medicine and perform additional tasks. She said this led to 12- to 15-hour working days.
Another woman, identified as Maya, told SVT that she was persuaded to work for two host families at the same time. She said she could babysit until 3 a.m., rest briefly, and then begin work for another family at 8 a.m.
The testimonies do not describe isolated disputes over household duties. They suggest a broader grey zone in which the formal language of cultural exchange can conceal a dependency relationship. Au pairs often live in the host family’s home, depend on that household for accommodation and may have limited knowledge of local institutions, language and labour rights.
Swedish au pair rules set a 25-hour weekly limit
Sweden’s rules define the au pair arrangement as a temporary stay for young people who want to improve their language skills and learn about Swedish culture. Applicants must generally be between 18 and 30 years old, and permits can be granted for a maximum of one year.
According to SVT, Sweden granted 427 au pair permits in 2025, down from 510 in 2024 but broadly in line with recent years. The Swedish Migration Agency data cited by SVT show 418 permits in 2023, 445 in 2022 and 447 in 2021. Over the last five years, more than 60% of permits went to au pairs from the Philippines.
For 2026, the minimum monthly compensation is 5,920 Swedish kronor before tax, or about €540. The low level of pay reflects the official status of the arrangement as cultural exchange rather than ordinary employment. But this distinction becomes harder to sustain when au pairs report full-time or near full-time childcare, night work and pressure to accept conditions not included in the official application.
Migration Agency scrutiny raises questions over warnings
SVT reported that the Swedish Migration Agency is currently reviewing the au pair system and that the review is expected to identify shortcomings in how warnings about abuse have been handled. According to SVT, tips concerning suspected human trafficking were in some cases not forwarded to the police.
That point is particularly significant because au pair exploitation can sit at the intersection of migration policy, informal domestic work and labour rights. Even when cases do not meet the legal threshold for trafficking, long hours, dependency on accommodation and threats can make it difficult for au pairs to leave abusive situations or report violations.
Tala told SVT that she had also worked as an au pair in Norway and Denmark, and said those countries offered stronger support systems for au pairs seeking help. “In Sweden there is no support,” she said, according to SVT. “There is no one who protects the au pairs.”
Nordic welfare states face a domestic labour blind spot
The investigation is sensitive for Sweden because it touches a contradiction often found in wealthy welfare states. Nordic countries have extensive public childcare systems, high female employment rates and strong labour protections. At the same time, private households can still rely on migrant women for flexible domestic and care work that remains difficult to monitor.
The au pair model is especially vulnerable because it is not meant to be a standard employment relationship. This can leave regulators balancing two competing claims: host families describe the arrangement as cultural exchange, while au pairs may experience it as work with limited bargaining power.
The issue is not limited to Sweden. Across Europe, au pair schemes have long faced criticism from unions, migrant rights organisations and labour experts who argue that the format can expose young women to underpaid work inside private homes. The Nordic comparison matters because au pairs can move between Sweden, Denmark and Norway, extending their time in the region while facing different rules and levels of protection.
A test for Sweden’s labour and migration oversight
The SVT investigation places pressure on Swedish authorities to clarify whether the current system can protect au pairs in practice, not only on paper. The key question is whether violations are treated as individual contract breaches or as signs of a structural enforcement problem.
If the Swedish Migration Agency’s review confirms gaps in how warnings were handled, the debate may move beyond the au pair programme itself. It could become part of a wider discussion about migrant care work, private household employment and the limits of labour inspection in domestic settings.
For Sweden, the case also carries reputational weight. A system designed to present the country through language, culture and family life risks being associated instead with hidden labour, weak safeguards and unequal power relations inside the home.
