The Swedish Government has held consultations with the social partners and published its draft proposal for a platform work law on 12 January 2026.
The proposal states that a Platform Work Act should be introduced and the law should be mandatory but with “certain possibilities to deviate from the law through collective agreements”.
The legal presumption of employment is based on facts indicating direction and control and is equally applicable to platform workers hired via intermediaries. The Swedish Work Environment Authority also has the power to initiate investigations and come to a decision in relation to the legal presumption. The platform can seek to rebut the presumption directly with the Swedish Work Environment Authority once the latter has communicated it’s decision. A person performing platform work can also initiate a “declaratory action” to say that he or she is an employee.
The basis for determining employment status is an overall assessment, therefore the presumption is a general one. But there are three criteria deemed “necessary but not sufficient” for an employment relationship to exist: that the work is performed based on a contract, that the work is performed on behalf of someone else, and that the worker must perform the work personally.
The law still has to go before the Swedish Parliament. It is proposed that it enters into force on 2 December 2026.