Saila Ruuth is State Secretary to Minister of Social Affairs and Health Aino-Kaisa Pekonen. Before her appointment as State Secretary, she worked in the Finnish Industrial Union as an expert in social affairs and working environment. Her other previous workplaces include the Ministry of Education and Culture, employment pension company Ilmarinen, and the unemployment fund of the Finnish Food Workers’ Union. Ruuth holds a Master’s degree in Social Sciences. She has served as the Chair of the Left Women in Finland, Member of the Executive Board of the European Left, and as a Member of the Board of Directors of the Left Alliance