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🇮🇸 Iceland /Economy & Trade

Doctor responds to 'misinformation' on Swedish economy and salaries

From Morgunblaðið · () Icelandic

Translated from Icelandic, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • A Swedish-based doctor criticized a video by the organization Já til að sjá for spreading misinformation about the Swedish krona and interest rates.
  • The doctor stated that her base salary as a neurosurgeon in Sweden is 83,000 SEK, with take-home pay around 700,000-800,000 ISK after overtime.
  • She argued that these salaries do not allow for reduced working hours or excessive spending, countering the video's implication.

Kristín Lilja Eyglóardóttir, a doctor in Sweden, has publicly criticized a video by the organization Já til að sjá, accusing it of spreading misinformation regarding the Swedish krona and interest rates. The video, which featured Margrét Rós Sigurjónsdóttir, a deputy city councilor for Viðreisn, suggested that low interest rates in Sweden allow individuals to reduce their working hours or spend more freely.

I live in Sweden, I live in Gothenburg, I own an apartment in Gothenburg and certainly I pay lower interest rates on that apartment than I would in Iceland. In this video today I saw that it was pointed out that because one has such low interest rates then one can just reduce one's work or just buy something else with the money.

— Kristín Lilja EyglóardóttirResponding to claims in a video about low interest rates in Sweden.

Eyglóardóttir, who works as a neurosurgeon at Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg, addressed the claims in a video posted on her Facebook page. She explained that while she does pay lower interest rates on her apartment in Sweden compared to Iceland, her salary does not support the video's implication of easy living. Her base salary for a full-time position is 83,000 Swedish kronor (approximately 1.07 million Icelandic kronor).

When I have worked night shifts and received overtime and all sorts of things, I get about 700,000 to 800,000 Icelandic kronor in my pocket. How am I, and not to mention all the others at Sahlgrenska with much lower salaries than me, supposed to reduce our work or spend the money on something else?

— Kristín Lilja EyglóardóttirExplaining her salary and working conditions as a neurosurgeon.

"When I have worked night shifts and received overtime and all sorts of things, I get about 700,000 to 800,000 Icelandic kronor in my pocket," Eyglóardóttir stated. She questioned how she, and many other colleagues at Sahlgrenska earning less, could afford to work less or spend lavishly. "What money?" she asked, referring to the video's premise.

What money?

— Kristín Lilja EyglóardóttirQuestioning the premise of the video regarding disposable income.

The doctor emphasized that the Swedish krona is a floating currency, similar to the Icelandic krona, and not pegged to the euro as the video incorrectly suggested. Her critique highlights concerns about the accuracy of information being disseminated by advocacy groups and its potential impact on public perception of living standards and economic realities in different countries.

That's just how salaries are in the European Union.

— Kristín Lilja EyglóardóttirCommenting on the salary levels in the EU, referencing Sweden.
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Originally published by Morgunblaðið in Icelandic. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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