Employment benefits

As a new employee, you are entitled to paid leave starting from your first year of employment. The number of days you receive depends on your age:

• 28 days until the year you turn 29
• 31 days from the year you turn 30
• 35 days from the year you turn 40

Standard holidays for teachers, researchers and doctoral students
The university reports standard holidays (schablonsemester) for teachers, researchers and doctoral students. This means that we automatically enter you holiday in the standard holiday period during the summer, starting Monday week 28 and as far as the days go.

Any person with one of the following job titles is included in the standard holiday:

• Adjunct professor
• adjunct senior lecturer
• adjunct lecturer
• associate senior lecturer
• doctoral student
• postdoctoral research fellow
• visiting professor
• visiting lecturer
• researcher
• professor
• postdoctor
• senior researcher
• lecturer
• senior lecturer

If needed, you can visit a doctor or dentist during working hours. Additionally, you have the right to paid leave for funeral or one moving day.

In Sweden, you are entitled to full parental leave until your child is eighteen months old. You can receive parental benefit to stay at home and take care of your child. Parental benefit is paid out for 480 days for one child. Parental benefits at the Swedish Social Insurance Agency 

For each day you take parental leave beyond the basic level provided by the Social Insurance Agency, a parental leave supplement is paid by the University. The supplement is 10 percent of the daily wage up to the national base amount limit. On salary portions exceeding the national base amount limit, the parental leave supplement is 90 percent of the daily wage.

Easter Eve, Whitsun Eve, Midsummer Eve, Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve are non-working days. 

Staff work shorter hours on certain days:

• The day before Epiphany, 5 January
• The day of Walpurgis Night, 30 April
• The day before All Saint’s Day (the date varies)
• 23 December if this day falls on a Friday
• Maundy Thursday (Thursday before Easter)

Working hours for part-time staff are reduced according to the same rules as for full-time staff, yet in relation to their contracted number of weekly working hours.

The rules concerning reduced working hours do not apply for staff contracted to work non-regulated working hours or who are subject to certain alternative agreements.

In many positions at the university, you have flexible working hours, allowing you to influence your schedule if it aligns with the needs of the organisation.

Standard rule for teaching staff
Total number of annual working hours:

• 1 700 hours with 35 days holiday
• 1 732 hours with 31 days holiday
• 1 756 hours with 28 days holiday

Standard rule for administrative and technical staff
From 1 September to 30 April, full-time staff in these staff categories work 8 hours and 10 minutes per day (normally from 7.50 am to 4.30 pm with a 30-minute lunch break).

From 1 May to 31 August, they work 7 hours and 30 minutes per day (normally from 8 am to 4 pm with a 30-minute lunch break).

Most administrative and technical staff (more precisely staff with office hours) are subject to a local collective agreement entitling them to flexible working hours within certain limits.

Researchers and "other teaching/researching staff" who do not hold employment as a teacher, formally have working time regulation corresponding to that which applies for administrative and technical staff.

If needed, you can receive special glasses for computer work free of charge.

As an employee with at least 20 percent employment, you are covered by occupational health services for work-related issues. This includes access to doctors, nurses, ergonomists, and psychologists.

If you are ill, you are entitled to sick pay for the first fourteen days. Sick pay is calculated for the days you are absent and equates to 80 per cent of the pay you would have received if you had not been ill. 

For sickness absences exceeding 14 days, we pay your sickness benefit supplement. The supplement is 10 percent of the daily wage up to the national base amount limit, during the first 90 days. On salary portions exceeding the national base amount limit, the sickness benefit supplement varies depending on the number of days of sick leave.

If you are injured at work or on your way to and from work, you may qualify for compensation from the national work injury insurance.

Additional compensation may also be paid as per the agreement on damages for bodily injury.

The group life insurance provides financial protection for survivors in case of death. Read more at the website of the Swedish National Government Employee Pensions Board (SPV)

All employees are covered by business travel insurance through the University.

As an employee, you can enhance your skills through various courses, seminars, and workshops organised by the University. Whether it's improving your teaching, academic writing skills, or leadership during change, we believe there is something for you.

Our Research and Innovation Services can assist you as a researcher, teacher, department administrator or director with issues related to research, commercial law, innovation and utilization of research.

The Unit for Academic Language provides resources for language and writing development for both staff and students at the University of Gothenburg. If you are applying for a teaching vacancy you will find our range of continuing education activities, as well as seminars in higher education didactics.

As staff you are able to develop your writing and speaking skills through individual advising sessions in Swedish and English, or you can participate in reading and writing retreats or courses.

You can be reimbursed for physiotherapy and medical, dental and mental health care (certain conditions apply for all types of treatment) up to the so-called high-cost protection threshold (högkostnadsskydd).

You can also be reimbursed for the cost of prescription medicines (certain conditions apply). Your pharmacy will keep track of how much you have paid for your medicines.

When you have a permanent position in a public authority, you have the right to take leave to try another job. You can be on leave for up to 2 years, provided that you have had a permanent position for at least 12 months.

Your total pension consists of three parts:

• National old-age pension (by law)
• Occupational pension (according to collective agreement)
• Private retirement savings 

As an employee at the University of Gothenburg (with certain exceptions), you are included in an occupational pension scheme titled PA 16. Understand your pension at The National Government Employee Pensions Board (SPV).