Migrant women in Sweden are most unionised

Sweden's migrant women workers have the highest level of unionisation in the country. This is one of the key results of a survey of union rates produced last month by LO, the country's main union confederation.

The figures, for 2005, show that 84.3% of female manual workers born abroad are union members, the highest percentage of any of the groups analysed. The figure for female manual workers born in Sweden is very slower at 82.7%.

Overall there is very little difference in unionisation rates between employees born in Sweden and those born elsewhere. The figures for all employees - women and men, manual and non-manual - show that 79.4% of those born in Sweden are union members, compared with 78.6% of those born outside the country. Unionisation levels for all types of workers are higher for women than for men.

The head of LO, Wanja Lundby-Wedin, said that she was "greatly touched" by the news. "These women have, more than other groups, precarious conditions in working life and for them the trade union is an important power that can protect the member, influence and change things," she commented, adding that living up to these expectations was a "great responsibility".

Currently, about 12% of Sweden's population is foreign born.