Swedish public employers spent 260m SEK buying out managers

Swedish municipalities and regions spent more than 260 million SEK buying out 472 managers in 2025, according to a new union survey reported on Monday.

The survey, conducted by trade union Vision with Chefen i fokus, found that around half of municipalities and regions had bought out at least one manager during the year.

Stockholm City, Region Skåne, Gothenburg City, Haninge municipality and Jönköping municipality were among the employers that bought out the most managers.

Vision president Veronica Magnusson said managers may need to leave for different reasons, but argued that individuals are too often made scapegoats for structural problems involving working conditions and workloads.

Teacher Pablo Mendoza told TV4 that years of school savings had brought larger classes, heavier workloads and staff covering absent colleagues rather than bringing in substitutes. He said the buyout money should instead reach core welfare services.

The figures come from Vision's mapping rather than an official national statistical release.

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