With uncertain working conditions drawn from the old peasant society, railway construction began in the 1850s. By the end of the century, the transition to newer forms of work had begun.

Even in the mid-1800s, almost the entire population of Sweden lived in rural areas, and the vast majority of these earned their living through agriculture.

It was common practice for seasonal workers to travel to wealthier areas for a few months' employment, such as the winter's labour-intensive grain threshing in Skåne.

During the latter part of the 1700s and the 1800s, Sweden's population increased significantly. It was especially the landless rural population (those who did not own any land) that grew. For example, in Småland, this group increased sevenfold between 1760 and 1860.

With a growing number of poor people, the number of migrant workers also increased. However, during the second half of the 1800s, seasonal work became less about agriculture and threshing and more about the beginning of industrialization.

From around 1870, the construction of canals, roads, ports and railways throughout Sweden, alongside forestry work in Norrland, began to engage more and more seasonal workers. Many of the navvies worked during the warmer months of the year and then returned home for the winter.

This old-fashioned form of work began to decline at the beginning of the 1900s, in favour of year-round employment.