He studied at the Stockholm University College from 1954 to 1956 where he got a degree in social work in 1955.

[1] He worked at Jordbrukarnas föreningsblad, an agricultural newspaper, from 1953 to 1965 and was then head of communications at the forest industry company Norrlands Skogsägares Cellulosa AB [sv] from 1963 to 1969.

Åsling was subsequently replaced by Erik Huss [sv] in 1978, only to be reappointed in 1979 as part of the Fälldin II Cabinet.

The government involvement in several industries received criticism for being very costly, with long-lasting subsidies to shipmaker Svenska Varv an often cited example.

After a change of government following the 1982 Swedish general election, Åsling served as chair of Sveriges Föreningsbank [sv] (a forerunner of Föreningsbanken) from 1983 to 1992.