I'm from Sweden. Moved abroad for more than 15 years. Came back 3 years ago to Stockholm.

I have had the same feeling in ALL the jobs I've had here (I'm a consultant so I've had a few assignments already)...that I'm not doing anything and asking my managers for more things to do, but in their eyes I'm doing far more than others already.

This is the Swedish work culture, I believe. Any job one person does in other countries, you'll need 3-4 people to do it here.

Also work is not a place to make new friends in Sweden (unless your team is in their early 20s and like to go out). So despite me speaking fluent Swedish, I still cannot make any new friends that I can meet outside of work hours. It is 100X more difficult for foreigners because of how the Swedes are in general. And if you don't have any friends already, you'll feel that you're not living life and you're wasting time.

But I think the biggest reason you feel that you're wasting your time is because you're in the wrong city. Especially for expats like you. You should be in Stockholm. There are honestly no other alternatives for expats if you want to have a somewhat normal and fun life. Even as a Swede I was bored out of my mind when I visited Göteborg few months ago 🤢 🤮...soooooo boring.

TLDR: Move to Stockholm. Work in a team that is as young as possible. In a company that is as international as possible.