Diversity Charter Sweden

Systematic gender equality work in a male-dominated industry has paid off

Member companies: Roadworthiness tests
Theme: Gender equality, sustainability, skills supply
Time period: 2007 - 2025

Background

In 2007, only 2 per cent of the employees at Bilprovning's stations were women. At that time, Bilprovningen took a decisive step - a long-term and determined journey of change began with the aim of increasing diversity and equality. The conviction was clear: differences create a better working environment and increased job satisfaction.

The work of roadworthiness testing in practice

Bilprovningen has worked systematically on these issues for several years. An important part has been to establish an equal treatment group that meets regularly and works proactively with action plans, follow-up and initiatives to counteract discrimination and contribute to a more inclusive workplace.

The work has included:

  • Skills development and internal career paths, to enable more staff to progress within the organisation and take the next step in their professional role.
  • Diversity and inclusion training for station managers, in partnership with Friends.
  • Games and discussion materials on inclusion, including Inkludo and the My Life film series.
  • Open-minded recruitment and training for hiring managers.
  • Monitoring of staff turnover, gender distribution and background.
  • Employee surveys with follow-up based on gender, age and length of service, among others.
Framsidan på Bilprovningens lokaler. En Husvagn är på väg att köra in.

Insights and results

Since the start of the long-term improvement programme, the share of women at stations has increased to 16%, and half of the regional managers are now women (2025). Many women have started as inspection technicians and progressed to management roles or positions at headquarters. The MOT offers good opportunities for skills development and career paths - something that has proved crucial.

Skills development has been key: in 2022, 43% of female inspection technicians were authorised to inspect heavy vehicles, compared to 32% the year before. In the same year, 74 out of 451 inspection technicians were women - a clear improvement.

The fact that Bilprovningen has more women in its operations and more employees with a foreign background has had many positive effects on our culture. It has made the work environment more open and inclusive. Our regular employee surveys show this.

When people with different backgrounds and experiences work together, new ideas with more perspectives are created. This means that Bilprovningen has become better at solving problems, innovating and understanding its customers.

Having more women in our stations has also led to a more equal workplace, where more people feel welcome.