Articles by this author
What happens in Sweden when a company wants to make staff redundant?
While the heavy unionisation of Sweden's workforce makes it comparatively difficult for companies to sack people, the system is also designed to allow companies to reduce staffing or close units when necessary. Here's how the system works.
Why are variable rate mortgages so popular in Sweden?
For people from countries where fixed-rate mortgages are the norm, it can be surprising to discover that in Sweden they are a rarity.
Twelve things about Sweden that make me smile
The Local's Nordic editor Richard Orange runs through some of the things about life in Sweden that warm his heart.
Sweden Democrats welcome citizenship freeze as 'step in right direction'
The far-right Sweden Democrats have welcomed a near total stop in citizenship approvals, predicting new security checks ordered by the government will mean fewer foreigners getting the right to a Swedish passport.
Can anyone beat the favourite to lead Sweden's Liberal Party?
The deadline to nominate the leader of Sweden's Liberal Party has passed with Climate Minister Romina Pourmokhtari far out in front. But as the choices made by the party's three top districts remain secret, there's still a chance of a surprise.
OPINION: The one thing I'll never regret in Sweden is taking advantage of paternity leave
The Local's Nordic Editor Richard Orange took advantage of Sweden's generous parental leave by taking six months off work (twice) to look after his baby daughter and baby son. It was an experience that changed his life.
Swedish MP says citizenship freeze is 'what the government wanted'
The Green Party's immigration spokesperson has attacked the government for the 'traumatic' freeze in Swedish citizenship approvals, claiming that rather than being a side effect of onerous new security checks ordered in January, it was the intended result.
Stockholm v Trump: 'If US embassy wanted a building permit, they would have a problem'
Stockholm's city government has missed a deadline from the US government to certify that they do not have any Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programmes. Jan Valeskog, the city's deputy mayor, explained why he has rejected this 'bizarre' request.
Moral panic? Sweden divided after leaked Grindr pics topple adviser
In the days after Sweden's new security adviser, Tobias Thyberg, stepped down over "sensitive" pictures from an old account on the Grindr dating app, people in Sweden are starting to ask whether it was right for him to go, writes The Local's Nordic Editor Richard Orange.
How Israel's invasion of Gaza became Swedish party politics again
When Hamas attacked Israel on October 2023, the right-wing parties in Sweden slammed the left for being too close to Palestinian groups. Now Israel is preparing a new Gaza invasion, the boot is on the other foot, writes The Local's Nordic Editor Richard Orange.
EXPLAINED: How Sweden's national brand is 'relatively weak' in India
Sweden has a 'relatively weak brand' in India, and to the extent that it is known at all, the country is not associated with having a stable economy or being a good place to study, visit, invest or do business, a new report from the Swedish Institute has found.
'Ideological': Sweden's government shrugs off criticism of nuclear funding plan
When Sweden's government announced its final plans for financing new nuclear, it had clearly learned some lessons from the criticism the draft proposal received last autumn. But not, perhaps, the right ones, argues The Local's Nordic Editor Richard Orange.
'A trust breaker': Foreign tech workers campaign against new Swedish citizenship law
When Sweden's migration minister told The Local that a new law tightening citizenship rules wouldn't scare away highly skilled foreign workers, Spotify software engineer Eric Peterson decided to collect signatures to prove him wrong.
Seventeen! How to NOT swear in Swedish (while feeling like you are)
Like English speakers, Swedes absolutely love to use fake swear words – and you should too, as they sound gloriously quaint coming from the mouth of a foreigner.
Why are the Sweden Democrats making overtures to the Social Democrats?
The centre-left Social Democrats, and not the conservative Moderates, are the long-term 'natural partners' for the far-right Sweden Democrats, a senior member of the populist party's ruling committee has claimed. Why is the party making overtures to its historic arch enemy?
'To become a citizen, you should know something about Sweden's values'
The Swedish historian Lars Trägårdh has long courted controversy, so it's little surprise that he has generated tumult in his new job leading the committee developing Sweden's new cultural canon. He tells The Local how he hopes it will help turn immigrants into engaged Swedish citizens.
Can I get my money back if I've paid for an ETA through an unofficial website?
Unofficial sites offering to obtain Electronic Travel Authorisations (ETAs) to enter the UK have been charging upwards of £80, despite being no easier or quicker to use than the official site that charges only £10. If you've already paid, can you get your money back?
EXPLAINED: How will Sweden's school smartphone ban work?
A Swedish government inquiry in March recommended that the government bring in a compulsory phone ban at all primary and upper secondary schools in the country. Here's what you need to know.
How the Nordic countries are tackling the scourge of screens
Denmark is planning to ban smartphones in schools, and health authorities across the Nordic countries have issued guidance on children's screen use. What rules and recommendations are now in place?
'Sweden has changed fundamentally but the level of trust is the same'
In 40 years, Sweden has changed fundamentally as a society but social trust – the so-called "Nordic gold" – has remained surprisingly stable, Bo Rothstein, Emeritus Professor at Gothenburg University, tells The Local.
Could a new Centre Party leader determine Sweden's next PM?
The knives have been out for Centre Party leader Muharrem Demirok since last summer and on Monday he finally gave up the fight, announcing his resignation. Will his replacement be in a position to choose Sweden's next prime minister?
'Baltic war in two years': What does Denmark's threat analysis really say?
An updated threat report from the Danish Defence Intelligence Service has generated headlines across the world for its conclusion that Russia is preparing its military for a war beyond Ukraine. What does the report actually say?
Q&A: Could the Örebro school attack have been prevented?
Robert Kindroth, chief of the Swedish Center for Preventing Violent Extremism (CVE), answers The Local's questions on whether the Örebro school attack could have been prevented and what can be done to lessen the risk of future attacks.