Competence Agencies of Sweden is an employer and trade federation for staffing, outplacement and recruitment companies of all sizes operating in Sweden. It was founded on October 1, 2003, following a merger between SPUR and Almega Services Employers’ Association (for staff agencies), initiated by their membership.
Members of Competence Agencies of Sweden are also members of the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise.
Service to Members
The federation’s main objectives are to safeguard and promote the member companies’ common interests as employers and commercial undertakings in the staffing industry. In addition to public affairs related services and industrywide lobbying, this involves advice and assistance in employer matters, including legal representation.
Member Companies
The 600 member companies (2016) operate in all areas of employment/HR related services, the majority focusing on staffing. They employ the equivalent of 75,000 full-time employees every month. Every year our industry finds jobs for more than 200,000 people via staffing, outplacement and direct reruitment.
The sizes of the companies vary greatly yet there is a predominance of small companies: On avarage 85 percent have less than 50 full-time employees; about 12 percent have 50 to 250 full-time employees; and a smaller part have more than 250 full-time employees. Even so, the four largest corporations have over half of the market. For market figures, see Statistics (in Swedish).
Examples of occupational areas:
- Administration
- Accounting & Finance
- Aviation
- Consumer Sales
- Construction
- Engineering & technology
- Health Care
- Hospitality
- IT
- Industry & Manufacturing
- Logistics & Warehousing
- Marketing/Public Relations
- Media
For further information on membership issues, please contact Membership Affairs within Almega.
Collective Agreements
As a member of Competence Agencies of Sweden, the company is be covered by one or several of the collective agreements listed below. These collective agreements take effect following notification. The date for this is determined by that point in time when such a notification is received by either party (the federation or the union counterpart), more precisely the first day of the month succeeding the receipt of the notification. Competence Agencies of Sweden has signed collective agreements with the following unions:
Salaried employees
Unionen and the Swedish University Graduate Unions.
Download the agreement
Staffing agreement
All LO member unions. Following accession, one LO union is appointed administratively responsible union (administrativt ansvarigt förbund), depending on the principal nature of the company’s business activities.
Download the agreement
Supplement to agreement on health and long-term care
The Swedish Medical Association
Supplement to agreement on health and long-term care
The Swedish Association of Health Professionals
If an applicant company has already signed a collective agreement, or an adoption agreement (hängavtal), membership with the Swedish Staffing Agencies will involve its substitution for one of the federation’s collective agreements. Please contact us regarding this procedure, please contact Hanna Byström.
Collective (Agreement) Insurance Schemes
Large part of the Swedish labour force is covered by collectively agreed insurance policies, also called labour market insurances, which are based on collective agreements concluded by the peak organisations on the labour markets. As a result, employers who are members of an employers’ federation such as Competence Agencies of Sweden are required, as a rule, to take out the related insurance policies for their employees.
As stipulated by the said collective agreements, a member company is to take out the related policies with FORA (for blue collar employees/wage-earners) and/or Alecta via Collectum (for salaried employees). As charges will be made retroactively in cases of delay, it is important to promptly notify the relevant insurance provider.
For further information regarding insurance schemes based on collective agreements, including the Supplementary Pension for Salaried Employees (ITP), please consult the publication Statutory and collective insurance for the Swedish labour market 2007, available at the website stated below, and/or contact the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise Insurance Information (in Swedish).
Authorisation
As a means of setting the standard for staffing related services in Sweden, compulsory authorisation has been introduced as condition for membership of Competence Agencies of Sweden, effective as of February 2009 . Previously, this procedure was voluntary and not as comprehensive.
The assessment for authorisation is made by a bipartite committee headed by an impartial chairperson.
In order to become an authorised staffing agency (Auktoriserat bemanningsföretag), the applicant company has to meet the following conditions:
- Membership with Competence Agencies of Sweden (the federation)
- A minimum of twelve months of staffing related operations
- Compliance with the federation’s bylaws
- Submission of the most recent annual report and submission of documentation evidencing no owing of back taxes or duties
- Adherence to the collective agreements of the sector in which the company is operating (*)
- Application of delivery terms at least on par with the federation’s general provisions (terms of delivery)
- Coverage by the federation’s liability insurance or the equivalent
- Compliance with the federation’s Code of Conduct
- Assurance that all subcontractors are registered for VAT, pay taxes and duties, are covered by subcontractor insurance and are bound by collective agreement(s) in respect of employed staff (*)
- Completion of the federation’s special authorisation training by at least one person holding a managerial position within the company
- Exposure of the federation’s authorisation logo in all job advertisements and marketing activities
- Completion of the authorisation board’s annual assessment
*) Exemption can be granted if there are no collective agreements in the sector in which the company is operating.
For start-ups (i.e. companies not yet having operated for twelve months), there is a stay-period during which no authorisation is require but certain basic membership conditions have to be met. As soon as the first annual report has been filed, however, the company must apply for authorisation or else forfeit its membership with the federation.
For further information, please e-mail Competence Agencies of Sweden
