The report Job Search in Sweden 2025: Candidate Insights and Trends was produced by Jobbland, Jobbsafari and Keeparo. The survey is part of our work to help employers achieve results through data-driven insights. Another part comes from our TargetBuilder database, where we can see in real time where candidates are and which messages drive engagement.

– Insights from both the head and the heart offer valuable knowledge for employers who truly want to reach the best candidates with their job advertising, says Louise Strandberg.

So what do talents say in the report—and what behaviors do we observe in TargetBuilder?

The Talent Wishlist

The results from Job Search in Sweden show that talent, regardless of target group, primarily looks for new roles to change their career situation, increase their salary, or find new challenges.

These are the factors talent values most when choosing an employer:

1. Compensation and benefits

2. Work culture

3. Reputation

4. Personal development

5. Leadership

6. Social responsibility

– The list shows that talent primarily values concrete factors. They want to know whether the job offers competitive conditions, a good culture, and a stable employer. Softer values, such as leadership and social responsibility, are not perceived as equally decisive at the early stages of a job search.

But how well does this wishlist match the actual behavior we see when talent encounters job advertising?

A Surprising Shift: When Talent Becomes Candidates

In TargetBuilder, we see that the wishlist changes once talent begins to engage in their job search, and that priorities continue to shift depending on where they are in the process.

– Something happens when talent becomes candidates. TargetBuilder allows us to follow their behavior across the phases of the advertising funnel, from awareness and interest to action. And we see which messages prompt them to take the next step.

Awareness: What Convinces in the First Encounter?

At first touch, reputation and workplace culture matter most. Messages about leadership, compensation, and benefits are less engaging. Candidates want to feel that the employer is credible and stands for values they can identify with.

– The first impression isn’t about money or managers, it’s about the overall feel of the employer.

Interest Phase: Candidates Want More Than Just a Job

Once interest is sparked, social responsibility and personal development grow in importance. Compensation and benefits still aren’t the top priorities at this stage.

– Candidates are drawn to employers who offer more than just a job, hose with a higher purpose, meaningful work, and opportunities to grow.

Action Phase: What Motivates Talent to Apply

When it’s time to make a decision, concrete factors matter most. Leadership along with compensation and benefits are what drive talent to act.

– At this stage, it’s about clear terms, security, and visible leadership. What will I earn? Who will my manager be? These are often the factors that decide whether a candidate submits an application.

How Data-Driven Employers Win Talent

Real-time data is, of course, perishable. But through continuous measurement, TargetBuilder, powered by five quadrillion data points, provides unique insights into how candidates behave.

The data we see in TargetBuilder adds an important dimension to the results in Job Search in Sweden. We gain insight into how talent is both rational and situational – and how their behavior changes depending on where they are in their job search. We see that talent is attracted by emotion, motivated by meaning, and converted by concrete conditions.

– The report shows that compensation and benefits and workplace culture are key factors. TargetBuilder confirms this picture but deepens it by showing when these factors matter most. Culture, for example, builds attraction. Compensation and benefits drive decision-making. While social responsibility ranked low in the report, TargetBuilder shows it plays a significant role in the interest phase.

To make your job advertising effective and measurable, a data-driven approach is essential. Employers who communicate the right message at the right stage are the ones who win talent.

The report Job Search in Sweden 2025 contains many more insights and trends about target groups and job-seeking behavior. Download it here.

Want to learn more about TargetBuilder and data-driven advertising? We’d be happy to hear from you. Contact us for a free consultation: hello@keeparo.com