Employment after 69 years of age (info for HR)

Continued employment after the right to remain in employment ends

An employee has the right to remain in employment until the end of the month in which he or she reaches the age of 69. When an employee reaches the LAS age and continued employment is not relevant, the employment must be terminated in compliance with the rules in the LAS. In the event that the parties agree on continued employment, a new employment agreement must be entered into, in accordance with items 1–7 below. 

NOTE!!! A new set of rules will apply from 2025-01-01, see this under "Documents" below (in Swedish, an English translation will soon be updated).

Transitional provisions 
Decisions on employment and exceptions regarding scope and management made no later than December 31, 2024 on the basis of the Regulations for employment after the right to remain in employment ceases (dnr 1-869/2019) remain valid after the entry into force of these guidelines. If there is a need for continued employment, the employment shall be re-regulated in accordance with these guidelines.
For the period January 1 - June 30, 2025, the head of department may, after consultation with the dean, decide on exceptions regarding scope and leadership according to these guidelines if necessary. Such an exception may only relate to the period January 1 - June 30, 2025.

This text applies until 2024-12-31: 

Reconsideration of continued employment

The employer (responsible manager) must annually (in the Performance management dialog or equivalent) reconsider the employment well in advance before the employee turns one year older in order to decide whether the employment should continue for another year. The reconsideration presupposes a documented dialogue between the manager and the employee. The documentation must contain the conditions for the employment; percentage, financing and a plan for how the exchange of skills is to be carried out. Decisions on re-regulation or continued employment under this paragraph shall specifically be motivated.

HR at the department is responsible for reminding the responsible manager of the annual review of the employment. In Primula there is a list of employees who have reached the age of 68 and are called "Employees 68 years and older" ("Anställda 68 år och äldre").

Rules for the employment of persons who have reached the LAS age

The following applies to all employment contracts entered into, with persons who have reached the LAS age:

1. An employment after reaching the LAS age shall apply indefinitely (permanent position) unless there are special reasons for limiting the employment (employment of a visiting professor and adjunct professor cuts on the basis of Chapter 4, Sections 10–12 of the Higher Education Ordinance [1993: 100]).

2. The terms of employment shall be regulated in a new employment contract.

3. Salary is paid per month.

4. The employment can last for a maximum of five years.

5. The employment rate shall comprise a minimum of 10% and a maximum of 50% of full-time employment.

6. The employment shall not refer to assignments as a manager or tasks with a managerial position.

7. Decisions on employment are made in accordance with the provisions of the current decision-making and delegation rules of KI.

The President of KI (for professors) and the HR-director (for other positions) may decide on exceptions from item 4, 5 and 6 if there are special reasons.

When applying for an exemption, please follow the Checklist for exemptions for employment after the right to remain in employment ends (in Swedish).

In addition to what is stated in points 1-7 above, it applies in particular that teachers and researchers who are employed after LAS age must:

a. be financed through own, current and ongoing external grants for salary and operation (the salary cost must not exceed what is stated in the external grant)

b. be employed in direct connection with the attainment of LAS age.

c. be able to be a PI (Principal Investigator) and have a right to authourize external grants signed with the teacher / researcher as principal.

d. be available to mentor junior researchers. Assignments as the main supervisor for doctoral students shall not be given to teachers and researchers who have passed the LAS age. A prerequisite for such an assignment is that it can be completed before the supervisor's employment ends.

Reregulation of the employment contract

Reregulation of the employment contract means that a new employment contract is written and in accordance with rules for employment of persons who have reached the LAS age unless an exemption has been granted by the president/HR-director. Under "Other" in the employment contract, it must be stated that "The employment contract replaces previous employment contract dated XXX from XXX (date of entry into force of the new employment contract).”

The wage type for employees who are employed permanently and who have reached the LAS age (69 years) is called 0013 (Until further notice 69+).

The normal case is that professors who are employed after reaching LAS age are employed permanently and have the position of professor. If there are special reasons for the employment to be limited in time, the position senior professor shall be used.

Termination after the right to remain in employment ends

When an employee reaches the LAS age, there is a significant change in employment protection; the employer does not have to give a reason for dismissing the employee. The notice period is one month from both parties. Termination cannot take place until the day after the employee's 69th birthday at the earliest, and employment then ends after one month. For employees who have not previously drawn a pension, employment should be terminated at the end of a month in order to avoid the employee being left without compensation as a pension can only be paid for a full month.  An employee who has not previously drawn a pension must be informed in good time that the employment may be terminated so that the employee has time to apply for a pension (about 4 months before).

Routine description in connection with dismissal after the right to remain in employment ends:

Special rules apply to professors, in these cases contact the Labor Law group at the central HR department well in advance (2 months) before the employment is to end. The head of department makes decisions in step 1 and the president makes decisions in step 3. For others, decisions are made according to the department's decision and delegation scheme.

Step 1. Notification of intended dismissal and notice (Notification of intended dismissal and notice of employees who have reached the age of 69) must be handed over to the employee, who must sign that the notification has been received. The signature is preferably done digitally and at least 5 weeks before the end of employment. The document is then sent to the person's trade union organization, do not forget to ask the employee about trade union membership and include it in the document Notification of intended dismissal and notice of employees who have reached the age of 69. The notification and the notice state that both the employee and the trade union organization have a right to consultation with the employer. 

Step 2: The employee or trade union may then request consultation within one week. If consultation is requested, dismissal may not take place until the consultation is completed. If the employee or the trade union concerned requests conciliation, the Employment Law Group of the HR Department should be contacted.

Step 3. If consultation is not requested within one week, the dismissal can proceed. The notice must be given to the employee at least one month before the termination of employment by means of the document Notice of dismissal of an employee aged 69 or over. The employee must sign that the notice has been received, preferably digitally. The original of the notice of termination must be sent to payroll and archived in the HR archive by the department.

The documents in this process should preferably be handed over in a face-to-face meeting but can be handed over in a digital meeting if it is not practical to arrange a face-to-face meeting.