斯德哥尔摩:工作家庭最宜居住的城市？

BBC双语阅读曼迪·萨维奇（Maddy Savage）(2023年12月15日)

斯德哥尔摩的鹅卵石大街在冬季也许到处是冰天雪地，但它却是欧洲发展最快的城市，也是全球初创公司最为集中的一个热点，吸引着来自世界各地的精英。

它是瑞典首都，人口不足 100 万，却诞生了网络通讯工具 Skype、流媒体音乐服务 Spotify（声破天）和电子游戏开发公司 Mojang（魔赞协同公司）；据投资公司　Atomico 数据，只有硅谷公司市值平均超过十亿美元。

早春冰雪融化之际，这座城市是世界上最绿意盎然的城市之一。斯德哥尔摩有 14 座小岛，三分之二的面积不是水域就是公园。建设美丽的环境是当地人的头等要务。瑞典员工每周工作时间超过 50 小时的不足 1%，这是经济合作与发展组织中最低的指标之一。

生活品质至上。新生儿的父母总共可享受长达 480 天的育儿假，两人可分摊享受，而育儿也享受高额补贴。难怪在汇丰银行 2015 年侨民探索者调查（HSBC’s 2015 Expat Explorer survey）中，瑞典被评为全球最宜于居家生活的地方。

34 岁英国企业家 Adam Webb 表示：“百分之百的好评”，他也是一个孩子的父亲。“方方面面都为孩子父母提供方便，从给孩子父亲提供几乎带全薪的育儿假到免费搭载童车，一应俱全。”

斯德哥尔摩也是潮人的天堂，《时尚》杂志近期将其列为欧洲最酷的城市。市中心以南的奥斯塔岛（S?dermalm）上，独立唱片商店依然能赚钱，而一派繁荣的景象和成堆的休闲咖啡屋也让斯堪的纳维亚半岛的浪漫情怀在新煮咖啡的浓郁香气中绵延不绝。

国际知名品牌宜家和 H&M 引领着这个北欧国家的设计和时尚氛围，两家公司都雇佣了大量外籍员工。斯德哥尔摩最受好评的工作集中于科技、设计和 IT 行业。

除了瑞典所闻名的寒冷漆黑的冬日和高税收，移居这座北欧最大的都市还要面临不少困难。如果考虑选择斯德哥尔摩作为人生下一站，以下就是你要考虑的几个主要问题。

住宿问题

Spotify（声破天）、H&M 和爱立信等许多国际大公司在与外籍员工签订斯德哥尔摩工作合同的头三个月都会为之提供住宿。但外国人抵达这里还是要面临独特的房地产市场压力以及公寓住宅的短缺问题。

斯德哥尔摩的住宅公寓极度短缺。（图片来源：Domingo Leiva/Getty Images)

超过三分之一的瑞典人租房居住，其中半数房屋由当地市政当局或州立租赁公司拥有，并按租金上限规定出租。如果足够幸运，你会拿到上述住宅的一手租赁合同，这就是你的生活了。斯德哥尔摩欢迎外国人排队加入租房行列，但你会发现，有大约 50 万当地人排在前面，平均要等待 9 年时间。

结果就是竞争激烈的转租市场，瑞典人在合伙搬进租赁的公寓或购买自己的公寓后，会再行出租。

据瑞典统计局数据，10 月份在斯德哥尔摩租赁一个两居室公寓的平均成本为月租 6,518 瑞典克朗（783 美元）。但是，尽管有条例规定要确保房客支付的租金不得超过出租者所支付租金的 15%，但二手租赁合同往往被屡屡转手抬高价格。

朱莉卡·兰伯斯（Julika Lamberth）说：“找到一个住处是移居斯德哥尔摩的最大困难......但目前也有许多措施设法解决这一问题。”她来自 Stockholm Business Region 公司，这是一家国有公司，致力于促进城市建设投资，其中就包括增加外国专业人员住宅的投资。“如果公司能帮到你，就不要害怕向公司提出要求，......一定要在脸书这样的网站贴出你正在找房租的信息。”

住在市中心大受欢迎的一个原因是，城市结构紧凑，让很多居民能减少通勤时间。每月花 790 瑞典克朗（95 美元）购买一个交通卡，你就能在市内随意乘坐地铁、火车和公共汽车。你也可以做当地人所做的一切，还能骑自行车游览斯堪地纳维亚半岛。

28 岁的伊琳娜·景琦·刘（Irina Jingqi Liu）说：“我比在伦敦和北京的朋友幸运得多，他们每天上下班路上来回需要三小时时间。”她住在北郊的松德比贝里（Sundbyberg），上下班坐地铁，只需要 15 分钟即可抵达市中心。

许多通勤族骑自行车上班。（图片来源：Tobias Ackeborn/Getty Images)

“在斯德哥尔摩你能节省大量在路上的时间，这就让我有更多精力参加其他活动。”她这样表示。

语言之争

据英孚教育全球英语能力指标，世界上瑞典人是英语作为第二语言说得最好的人，有大部分跨国公司以及大量科技公司和初创公司都招聘外国人才，其都将英语作为工作语言。

不过，对于那些尚未找好工作的移居者，在教育程度要求高、竞争激烈的就业市场，懂瑞典语仍然是一大优势。据瑞典统计局数据，有不足 8% 的瑞典人口失业，但外国出生的瑞典居民失业率却高达 17%。

瑞典政府为移民提供称为“SFI”的语言培训课程。

布雷顿·韦伯（Briton Webb）说：“匪夷所思的是，那么多工作要求会瑞典语，但这里几乎人人都能说一口好英语。”他在 2014 年和巴西裔瑞典人伴侣以及他们的女儿从巴黎移居斯德哥尔摩，现在与一名英国同事一起经营着一家健身初创公司 Gymgo。这家二人合办的公司利用一个政府资助机构 ALMI 的帮助，其免费为外国企业家提供建议，帮助他们完成日常文件工作。

“在这里创办公司真的很快，但没有 ALMI 的帮助就要费很大周折。他们把行政和翻译工作全包了，帮了我们的大忙。”

签证程序

欧盟和挪威公民无需获得签证即有权在瑞典工作，也可以移居瑞典寻找工作。

但是，其他大多数国家的人通常需要向瑞典移民局（Migrationsverket）申请工作许可，证明自己已经获得瑞典公司的正式工作合同。

也有少数例外。来自澳大利亚、加拿大、新西兰和韩国的 18 至 30 岁的人们，可获得最长为期一年的工作假期签证。那些为了和瑞典伴侣一起生活而移居瑞典的人士（或者已经有工作签证的外国人），在找工作前可以申请居住许可。

瑞典人的工作环境

斯德哥尔摩比世界上任何首都都更为重视生活和工作之间的平衡。

29 岁的加拿大人阿米克·格雷瓦尔（Ameek Grewal）说：“在英国工作时，客户希望在晚上和周末保持联系，而这里的情况则完全不同。”一年前，他从伦敦移居至此，为花旗银行北欧总部工作。

尽管一开始他因为不得不花费更长时间等待客户答复感到“沮丧”，但现在他却欣然接纳了在瑞典感受到的“相互尊重”。

格雷瓦尔说：“我等到工作时间才会打电话或写邮件联系客户，另外，我现在也不会在自己度假时打电话给客户。”

瑞典因其职场母亲的比例在欧盟国家中最高，备受溢美之辞，最近，它还在世界经济论坛全球性别平等国家评选中名列第四。

来自中国的 IT 项目经理刘景琦（音译）表示：“你能感受到，公司会根据能力做出决定，而不是性别。”

不过，她也谈到，在工作以外的私人关系方面，有些女性外国人会更多地受到建设平等社会的影响。在这个方面，骑士精神已几乎不存在。

她表示：“男士不太敢为女性提供拎包等帮助，因为这样做政治上不正确，他们担心女士会为此感到受辱。”“我也有好多朋友抱怨，账单总是要平均分摊。”

广结朋友

提到交友，根据汇丰银行侨民探索者调查，瑞典是世界上外国人最难交到新朋友的国家。

“瑞典人很礼貌，但他们不会聊天。虽然他们显得保守，但通常十分尊重你的隐私。”调查报告的作者这样认为。

但报告也指出外国人的一个共同感受，即“一旦交到本地人朋友，你就会发现他们既温暖又忠诚。”

对伊朗人哈米德（Hamed Khoramyar）而言，定居斯德哥尔摩的关键首先是要与其他外国人建立联系，同时也要耐心和瑞典人发展关系。这位 38 岁的伊朗人经营着一家数据安全公司，于 2010 年寻求在瑞典避难。五年之后的今天，他有着“强大”的朋友圈，他的朋友都来自生意往来和共同的爱好：喝啤酒和骑自行车。

他说，“在外国人社区中，你就是要新认识人，结交新朋友。做到这点并不难，但是要和瑞典人交朋友，你就要尊重他们的文化。你应该明白，瑞典人并不会在地铁或者商店里和人闲聊。如果你在酒吧或者晚会上社交，瑞典人就会自在得多。”

（责编：腾龙）

The best city for working families?

By Maddy Savage,15 December 2024

The cobbled streets of Stockholm may be cold and snowy during winter, but Europe’s fastest growing city is one of the world’s hottest startup hubs and a magnet for international talent.

Home to fewer than one million people, Sweden’s capital is the birthplace of Skype, Spotify and Mojang; only Silicon Valley boasts more billion dollar companies per capita, according to investment firm Atomico.

Once the snow melts in early spring, the city is among the greenest in the world. Nestled on 14 islands, two thirds of Stockholm is made up of either water or parks. And locals make it a priority to enjoy these serene surroundings. Fewer than 1% of Swedish employees work more than 50 hours per week, one of the lowest rates in the OECD.

Fewer than 1% of Swedish employees work more than 50 hours per week.

Quality of life is paramount. New parents are given 480 days of leave to look after their infants, which can be split between them, while childcare is heavily subsidised. Little wonder that Sweden was rated the best location in the world for family life in HSBC’s 2015 Expat Explorer survey.

“It’s absolutely a 10 out of 10,” said Adam Webb, 34, a British entrepreneur and father-of-one. “Everything is geared towards helping parents, from giving dads time off on almost full pay to free bus rides for anyone with a buggy.”

A haven for hipsters, Stockholm also boasts what Vogue magazine recently ranked as Europe’s coolest neighbourhood. On the island of S?dermalm, just south of the city centre, independent record stores still make money, while a thriving vintage scene and plethora of cosy cafes offer a taste for Scandinavia’s love affairs with timeless style and freshly brewed coffee.

The Nordic nation’s design and fashion spheres, led by iconic global brands Ikea and H&M, are large employers of expats. Plenty more score jobs in the city’s strong science, engineering and IT sectors.

But relocating to the largest metropolis in the Nordics isn’t without obstacles that go beyond the dark, cold, winter days and high taxes that Sweden is famous for. Here are the key things to think about if you’re considering choosing Stockholm as your next base.

Scoring accommodation

Many major international companies including Spotify, H&M and Ericsson offer expats accommodation for the first three months of their contracts in Stockholm. But other foreigners arriving in the city are left to battle with a unique property market and an acute shortage of apartments.

More than a third of Swedes live in rented housing, half of which is owned by local councils or state rental companies and subject to rent caps. If you’re lucky enough to get a first hand contract for this kind of accommodation, it is yours for life. Expats are welcome to join the queue, but in Stockholm they will find around half a million locals in front of them and an average wait of nine years.

The result is a highly competitive subletting market, as Swedes lease out their rental apartments after moving in with partners or buying their own.

According to Statistics Sweden, October figures showed the average cost of renting a two-bedroom apartment in Stockholm was 6,518 Swedish kronor ($783) per month. However, second-hand contracts frequently change hands for much more, despite regulations designed to ensure tenants don’t pay more than 15% extra than those they are renting from.

“Finding a place to live is the single biggest challenge when moving to Stockholm … but there is a lot going on to try and solve the problem,” said Julika Lamberth from Stockholm Business Region, a state-funded company working to increase investment in the city, including accommodation aimed at foreign professionals. “Don’t be afraid to ask your employer if they can help … and be sure to put the word out that you are looking to rent on networking sites like Facebook.”

One reason living in the city centre is so popular is that its compact size guarantees short commutes for many residents. For 790 kronor ($95) a month, you can buy a travel pass valid for all zones on the city’s subway, trains and buses. Or you can do as many locals do, and travel the Scandinavian capital by bike.

“I feel so much luckier than friends in London or Beijing who face a three-hour round-trip each day,” said 28-year-old Irina Jingqi Liu, who lives in the northern suburb of Sundbyberg and commutes by subway just 15 minutes to get to the heart of the city.

“You save a lot of time on travelling in Stockholm. That gives me more energy to participate in other activities,” she explains.

Language battles

Swedes are the best in the world at speaking English as a second language, according to the global EF English Proficiency Index and most large international firms, as well as plenty of tech companies and startups recruiting talent from abroad, use English as their working language.

Still, for those who make the move without a position lined up, knowledge of Swedish can be a major advantage in a highly educated and competitive job market. Less than 8% of the Swedish population is unemployed, but this jumps to 17% among foreign-born residents according to Statistics Sweden.

The Swedish government offers free language classes for immigrants, called SFI.

“It can feel bizarre that so many jobs ask for Swedish when almost everyone speaks perfect English,” said Briton Webb, who relocated to Stockholm from Paris with his former Brazilian-Swedish partner and their daughter in 2014, and now runs Gymgo, a fitness startup, with a fellow British colleague. The duo used ALMI, a government-funded body that provides free advice to foreign entrepreneurs, to help them navigate their way through the paperwork.

“It’s really quick to set up a business here but without ALMI it would have been more of a struggle. They helped us a lot with all the administration and translation.”

Getting a visa

EU and Norwegian citizens are entitled to work in Sweden — or move there in order to look for a job — without obtaining a visa.

However, those from most other countries generally need to apply to the Swedish Migration Board (Migrationsverket) for a work permit, demonstrating that they already have an official job offer from a Swedish employer.

There are a few exceptions. Working holiday visas for up to one year are granted to 18-to-30-olds from Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Korea. Those relocating to Sweden in order to live with a Swedish partner (or a foreigner who already has a work permit) can apply for a residence permit before securing a job.

The Swedish workplace

Stockholm places a greater focus on work-life balance than other world capitals.

“It's a very different experience to when I worked in the UK and clients wanted to stay in touch on weekends and during the evening,” said Canadian Ameek Grewal, 29, who relocated from London to Citibank’s Nordic headquarters a year ago.

While initially finding it “frustrating” having to wait longer for client responses, he now appreciates the “mutual respect” felt in Sweden.

“I’ll wait until office hours to call or email my customers and at the same time I know I won’t be phoned when I’m on holiday,” Grewal said.

Sweden frequently scores praise for having the largest proportion of working mothers in the EU and was recently ranked the fourth most gender equal country by the World Economic Forum.

You feel that companies make decisions based on competencies and abilities not because you’re a guy or a girl.

“You feel that companies make decisions based on competencies and abilities not because you’re a guy or a girl,” said Jingqi Liu, an IT project manager from China.

However, she said some female expats can struggle with the impact of a more egalitarian society when it comes to relationships outside the office. Here, chivalry is almost dead.

“Guys don’t always dare to offer women help like with a bag or something because it’s not politically correct — they’re worried that the girls are going to be insulted,” she explained. “I also have a lot of friends complaining that bills are always split down the middle.”

Making friends

When it comes to socialising, Sweden was named the worst place in the world for expats seeking to strike up new friendships in HSBC’s Expat Explorer survey.

“Swedes are polite, but they don't do small talk. And, while they may appear reserved, they're usually just respecting your privacy,” the report’s authors said.

But the survey also points out a common feeling among expats that “once you've made local friends, you'll find them loyal and warm”.

For Iranian Hamed Khoramyar, the key to settling in was to forge connections with other foreigners first, while being patient about developing relationships with Swedes. The 38-year-old runs a data-security company and sought asylum in Sweden in 2010. After five years, he now has a “strong group” of friends he’s met through business and a shared love of beer and biking.

“With the expat community you’re all looking for new contacts and new friends. That part is easy,” he explained. “But with Swedes you have to respect their culture. You see it very clearly that they don’t even talk to each other on the subway or in shops. Swedes get more comfortable once you start socialising at the bar or at parties.”