How does trust shape the world of work across Europe? Next in our series: 🇸🇪 Sweden

August 28, 2025

Sweden represents a model of organised corporatism, with a long-standing tradition of autonomous bipartite industrial relations since 1938.

As of 2024, around 88% of employees are covered by collective agreements, and approximately 69% are union members. Despite a slight decline in union density, collective bargaining remains robust across nearly 700 agreements.

The study shows that trust between employer and trade union representatives is a cornerstone of Swedish labour relations at both local and sectoral levels.

Trust enhances constructive negotiation, reduces conflict, and supports competitiveness. It underscores that institution-based trust is built and sustained through long-standing formal agreements and repeated relational and knowledge-based interactions.

Key challenges include declining union participation, weaker engagement in smaller firms, and growing political and EU-level pressure on the bipartite model.

The Swedish system’s strength lies in its ability to renew trust even amid tensions. But its future depends on continued cooperation, stable institutions, and strong engagement from all levels of the social partners.

📄 Want to learn more? Read the full report, authored by Ylva Ulfsdotter Eriksson, Glenn Sjöstrand & Bengt Larsson from Linnaeus University, Sweden: https://celsi.sk/media/datasource/TRUE_Europe_Sweden.pdf

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