Employers planning Nordic winter tourism recruitment—or the 2027 agriculture and horticulture season—now face three notably different systems. Sweden changed its labour immigration framework on 1 June 2026, Finland continues to use duration-based seasonal permits, and Norway combines a six-month limit with sector-specific labour-market and wage rules.
This comparison focuses mainly on workers from outside the EU and EEA. EU and EEA nationals, including Polish citizens, generally use free-movement arrangements instead of these seasonal permit routes, although registration, tax and employment formalities may still apply. This article is practical guidance, not legal advice. Employers and candidates must verify each case with the linked national authority before making commitments.
Why seasonal recruitment deserves earlier planning
The European Commission estimates that the EU requires roughly 2.5 million to 4 million seasonal workers each year. It also reports that seasonal-work authorisations issued to non-EU nationals increased from 115,726 in 2019 to 273,897 in 2024, with growth of more than 77% between 2021 and 2024.[1]
That expansion does not mean employers can treat seasonal migration as a simple high-volume process. The Commission’s May 2026 review identified continuing problems involving unpredictable procedures, inadequate accommodation, weak access to information, illegal employment and insufficient enforcement. It called for faster and fairer admission pathways alongside risk-based inspections and stronger remedies for workers.[1]
For recruiters, the practical lesson is straightforward: a campaign is only viable when the job, employing entity, pay model, accommodation and permit route have been designed together. Finding candidates first and resolving compliance later creates a serious risk of delayed arrivals, rejected applications and early departures.
Sweden’s June 2026 changes alter the recruitment model
Sweden’s reform took effect on 1 June 2026. Among the confirmed changes, the maximum seasonal-work authorisation increased from six to nine months in a 12-month period. Seasonal pay must now reach at least the minimum compensation for full-time work under the relevant Swedish collective agreement or the level customary in the occupation or industry—even where the offered job is part-time.[2][3]
The seasonal route should not be confused with Sweden’s general work-permit salary requirement. The broader reform introduced a threshold linked to 90% of the Swedish median salary for ordinary labour immigration, while seasonal work is subject to its own minimum-compensation rule.[2][3] Employers should therefore identify the exact permit category before advertising salary or assessing affordability.
The forest berry-picking distinction
Forest berry pickers were excluded from the ordinary work-permit route as part of the June reform. However, Sweden’s Migration Agency states that a berry picker employed by an employer established in Sweden may still apply through the seasonal-work route.[2][3]
This makes the identity and location of the legal employer decisive. A foreign recruitment intermediary cannot assume that a model used in an earlier season remains available. Swedish businesses should document whether they are the direct employer, while candidates should check that the company named in the offer is the same entity supporting the permit.
Housing and application responsibilities
The Swedish employer starts the seasonal application and sends the employment terms to the relevant trade union for an opportunity to comment. Applicants must have suitable housing and, where required, comprehensive health insurance. If accommodation is arranged through the employer, rent must not be unreasonably high, tenancy conditions must be documented and the housing must satisfy applicable health and safety rules.[3]
The Migration Agency’s live guidance currently reports that 75% of recently decided complete seasonal applications were resolved within two months, compared with three months for incomplete cases.[3] These are historical processing indicators rather than guaranteed service times, but they reinforce the value of complete applications and realistic start dates.
Sweden, Finland and Norway: a compact comparison
| Country | Main route for non-EU/EEA seasonal workers | Maximum period | Labour-market check | Key employer issue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sweden | Seasonal work permit; employer starts the process | Up to nine months in 12 months | Job advertising and trade-union involvement form part of the process | Pay must meet the full-time collective or customary minimum; suitable housing and insurance evidence are required.[3] |
| Finland | Seasonal visa or certificate for shorter work; residence permit for work lasting three to nine months | Up to nine months in 12 months | Applied to seasonal employment lasting six to nine months | Every employer must be named or added to the permit, and the reported terms must match the contract.[4] |
| Norway | Residence permit for seasonal work or holiday-relief work | Up to six months in 12 months | NAV confirmation is normally required, but agriculture and forestry are exempt | The offer must be full-time, and pay and conditions cannot be poorer than normal in Norway.[5] |
The maximum duration is not the only operational difference. Finland divides applications according to the length of employment, while Norway requires full-time work throughout the permitted stay. Sweden and Finland both allow up to nine months, but employers must still show that the activity genuinely qualifies as seasonal under national rules.[3][4][5]
Finland: duration, named employers and a 2026 income floor
Finland treats agriculture, forestry and tourism tied to a particular time of year as seasonal work. For work of up to 90 days, the candidate may need either a seasonal-work visa or a certificate, depending on nationality. Employment lasting three to nine months requires a residence permit, and a labour-market test applies where the contract lasts six to nine months.[4]
Seasonal employees may work only for employers recorded on the permit. Multiple employers can be included from the start, but each must submit the required employment information. Adding another employer later requires a separate application. This matters for tourism businesses that share staff across hotels, restaurants or activity providers, and for agricultural employers seeking to sequence harvests across different farms.
Pay must comply with the applicable Finnish collective agreement. The Finnish Immigration Service also states that the seasonal worker’s salary must reach at least €1,463 per month in 2026 to meet the income requirement.[4] That figure is a permit-related income floor, not a universal wage rate replacing a more favourable collective agreement.
Where the employer provides accommodation, it must be warm, fire-safe and have adequate washing, sanitary and sleeping facilities. The employment contract or binding offer must also match the terms submitted to the immigration authority. Finnish authorities may refuse a permit for reasons attributable to an employer, including serious failures involving taxation, social security, workers’ rights or employment conditions.[4]
Norway: shorter permits and a full-time job requirement
Norway is outside the EU Seasonal Workers Directive, although it remains an important destination for EEA mobility and international recruitment. Its non-EEA seasonal permit can cover work that is possible only at a particular time of year or temporary holiday replacement. Construction, painting and similar trades are not treated as seasonal merely because a project is short.[5]
The applicant must have a concrete offer of full-time work for the entire stay. An employer normally needs confirmation from the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration that sufficient workers cannot be recruited from Norway or the EEA. Agriculture and forestry are exempt from that particular confirmation requirement. A person who has held a seasonal permit for six months must then remain outside Norway for six months before another seasonal permit can be granted.[5]
Pay and working conditions must not be worse than normal in Norway, and the candidate must be guaranteed an applicable minimum hourly wage. Norway has statutory minimum rates in selected sectors, including agriculture and horticulture, hospitality and fish processing. Employers must check the current occupation, age and experience category with the Labour Inspection Authority rather than using an old season’s rate.[5][6]
What employers should do before launching a campaign
A compliant permit is the result of a well-structured vacancy. Before sourcing candidates through a country page such as jobs in Sweden, jobs in Finland or jobs in Norway, employers should complete the following checks:
- Confirm that the work is legally seasonal. A fixed-term vacancy is not automatically seasonal. Check whether the occupation and industry fall within the national definition.
- Select the employer before selecting the permit. Identify the entity signing the contract, paying wages, supervising work and providing any accommodation.
- Calculate guaranteed earnings. Show hourly or monthly pay, guaranteed hours, overtime arrangements and all lawful deductions. Do not rely on variable bonuses or unrealistic piece-rate assumptions to meet permit requirements.
- Audit accommodation separately from payroll. Use a written tenancy document, record the condition and capacity of the property, and explain rent and transport costs before the worker accepts.
- Map every employment location. If a worker will rotate between businesses or legal employers, confirm whether all entities must be named in the application.
- Allow time for the candidate’s steps. Employer submissions do not complete the process where the worker must upload documents, visit a mission, present a passport or provide biometrics.
- Keep recruitment evidence. Retain advertisements, candidate communications, signed contracts, agency agreements, pay calculations and housing records.
Employers filling difficult vacancies should also apply the structured assessment methods in the skills-first cross-border hiring playbook. Seasonal recruitment may involve entry-level roles, but realistic task previews, language assessment and evidence of reliability can still reduce failed placements and turnover.
Apply an employer-pays recruitment standard
The ILO’s fair recruitment guidance states that workers and jobseekers should not bear recruitment fees or related costs.[7] Employers should therefore inspect the complete recruitment chain, including overseas agents and subcontractors. A contract saying “no fee” is insufficient if candidates are being charged for job access, compulsory training, document handling or transport at inflated prices.
Practical safeguards include confidential worker interviews, a written refund process, multilingual explanations of deductions and a prohibition on agents retaining passports or original documents.
What international candidates should verify
Candidates browsing wider job opportunities across Europe should ask for enough information to compare net outcomes, not only headline wages:
- the full legal name and location of the employer;
- the permit category and who completes each application stage;
- guaranteed working hours and the applicable collective agreement or statutory rate;
- how overtime, holiday pay and piecework are calculated;
- the address, occupancy, rent and transport arrangements for accommodation;
- which deductions may appear on the payslip;
- whether the permit is restricted to a named employer; and
- who pays for travel, insurance, applications and recruitment services.
A candidate should not start work before the required right to work is valid. Nor should anyone assume that a permit for one Nordic country authorises employment in another. Applicants must use the official authority’s current instructions and should keep copies of the advertisement, contract, housing agreement, permit decision and payslips.
Practical conclusion
Sweden’s 1 June 2026 reform has made the seasonal route more useful for longer campaigns while increasing scrutiny of pay, insurance, employers and certain occupations. Finland also permits seasons of up to nine months but adds a labour-market test for six-to-nine-month jobs. Norway retains a shorter six-month ceiling and usually requires evidence that local or EEA recruitment cannot fill the role.
The strongest Nordic recruitment plans will begin with a lawful job and transparent living conditions—not a target number of arrivals. Employers should verify the current rules for every occupation, nationality and contract with the relevant authority before advertising, and candidates should insist that the written offer matches the terms used in the permit application.
Sources and official references7 verified references
- Report on the implementation of Directive 2014/36/EU on seasonal workers
- Government announces exemptions from new salary requirement
- Apply for a permit for seasonal work in Sweden
- For employers of seasonal workers
- Want to apply: Seasonal workers
- Minimum wage and sector-specific working conditions
- General principles and operational guidelines for fair recruitment and definition of recruitment fees and related costs
Information reviewed 18 September 2026. Rules, statistics and labour-market conditions can change. Always confirm the latest requirements on the linked official websites. This article is general information, not legal advice.