The number of berry pickers decreased in the last two years due to the pandemic.
During a period in 2020, Thailand also issued a recommendation not to travel to Sweden due to the risk of infection.
But now the pandemic is blown away - at least in terms of the Swedish Migration Board's forecast for the number of applicants for work permits to pick wild berries.
- There has been a decline in the last two years, much linked to corona of course, but this year we have a forecast that indicates that there will be very many applications, says Fia Malmborg, unit manager at the Swedish Migration Board.
Just over 7,000 Thai citizens are expected to apply for permits, which would have been a new record.
In 2019, the year before the pandemic, 6,199 such permits were granted.
The absolute majority of applications are usually approved and the most common work period is July, August and September, she says and emphasizes that it is only a forecast.
Seasonal workers come to Sweden from several different countries, but pickers of wild berries have exclusively been Thai citizens over the years, says Fia Malmborg.