Sven-Otto Littorin, Minister for Employment, has resigned after a messy child custody battle.

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On Wednesday morning Sweden's employment minister Sven-Otto Littorin announced that he had just informed the prime minister that he steps down from his position following a turbulent and long-drawn child custody battle with his ex-whife.

After a hearing in a district court on Tuesday Littorin -- father of three -- decided that he didn't have the energy to continue his work as minister, the TT newswire said.

"I can not stand this anymore", he said, almost crying, at a press conference in Visby during the so-called political week.

"For me my children are worth more than my job, my career or anything else," he said. "I have reached my limit. I am no longer prepared to pay this price - for my children's sake, for my sake, and for my fiancée's sake."

44-year-old Moderate Party politician Sven Otto Littorin, who has been employment minister since Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt's centre-right coalition government came to power in 2006, got divorced in 2007 and has since been locked in a highly publicised battle with his ex-wife over alimony and custody of their three children.

On Tuesday this week there was reportedly a court hearing in the case that spurred the exiting minister's decision.

"Now that it is clear to me that the battles with my ex-wife will continue, it is obvious that I can not continue" in the government, he said, stressing that he wanted to remove his family from the constant media spotlight.

"My children and my fiance are not public personalities. They have a right to their privacy," he said, adding "I can't stand anymore reading that I am a bad father."

"I am no superman ... If you are looking for politicians made of steel you'll have to look elsewhere," he said.

Reinfeldt said he had accepted Littorin's resignation, which comes just two months ahead of a general election scheduled for September 19.

"Sven Otto has been a much appreciated employment minister ... I have great respect for his decision," the prime minister told a press conference.

He said Migration Minister Tobias Billström would take over as head of the employment ministry while maintaining his current position. No other changes would be made to the government, he said.