What Swedish employers ask developers for

If you read a few hundred Swedish developer listings, the same requirements keep coming back. Knowing which are real and which are wishlist saves a lot of wasted applications. The recurring stack React and TypeScript dominate frontend. Backend is split between .NET (very strong in Swedish enterprise and public sector), Java, Node and a growing amount of Go. Azure appears more often than AWS in larger Swedish organisations, largely because of existing Microsoft relationships. Kubernetes shows up in most senior listings and in few junior ones. Hard requirements vs wishlist Swedish listings often separate ska-krav (must) from meriterande (merit). Take ska-krav seriously; meriterande is genuinely optional and applying without it is normal. Where a listing lists ten technologies with no separation, assume the first three are real. Language A large share of Swedish developer roles are conducted in English, especially in product companies. Public sector and consultancy roles that touch Swedish clients usually require Swedish, since documentation and meetings are in Swedish. When a listing does not state it, it is unknown — ask rather than guess. Seniority labels Swedish "senior" usually means five or more years and ownership of a system, not a management step. "Lead" often means technical lead without direct reports. Chef in a title does mean people management. Consultancy vs product Consultancies (konsultbolag) hire year-round, accept broader profiles, and are a realistic route in. Product companies hire in bursts and interview more narrowly. Both are worth applying to; they just reward different applications. Reading a listing well Pull the stated requirements out as a list and answer each with evidence before you write anything else. That list is what you are actually being scored against.