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New working hours agreement for researchers from 1 January 2026

Person working in a lab. Photo: Kennet Ruona
Photo: Kennet Ruona

Lund University and the local employee organisations have signed a new collective agreement on working hours for researchers and associate researchers (excluding MAX IV), which will take effect on January 1, 2026.

What the agreement means:

  • Researchers will now be covered by annual working hours under the new agreement
  • For full-time, full-year employment this corresponds to 1,700–1,756 hours per year, depending on the number of vacation days. For part-time or shorter employment, the hours are adjusted proportionally.
  • Annual working hours provide both flexibility and responsibility. Working time may vary over the year, with the aim of ensuring a sustainable workload.
  • Planning is done at an overall level, for example during development talks, and documentation is handled in a mutually agreed manner.
  • For those who teach, the same time-allocation principles apply as for academic teachers.
  • Workplace presence is guided by operational needs. For work outside LU, we will discuss which workplaces are relevant and appropriate.

Implementation during 2026

The year 2026 will serve as a joint implementation year, allowing routines and practices to be introduced gradually.

More information will follow in the December issue of LU News and on the Staff Pages early next year. If you have further questions, please contact your immediate manager. Unions will also provide information shortly.

New working hours agreement (pdf) (in Swedish)

The news on Staff Pages (In English shortly)