All Articles — Nordic Labour Journal

Britt Östlund: Technology is made by people – so we can influence it

(May 28, 2018) 80 year olds are considerably more different from each other than 40 year olds, yet older people are often described as an homogenous group with no real knowledge of how to use technology. This limits innovation and influences how welfare technology for older people is created, says Britt Östlund, a professor at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology specialising on older people and welfare technology.

Cooperating to stop a race to the bottom

(Apr 19, 2018) Not everything is perfect, but the Nordics are doing some good things, getting down to business, highlighting problems, considering the measures, wanting to learn from others without erasing political divides. This is also the case when discussing labour market inclusion, #metoo and work-related crime. Broad cooperation aims to make sure things point in the right direction.

Anna Söderbäck: #metoo shows a need for a new type of leadership

(Apr 19, 2018) #metoo has spread like wildfire across the Nordic region. In Sweden, 65 different trades gathered their stories under different banners. First were the artists with hashtags like #tystnadtagning (silence, filming) and #ViSjungerUt (we’re singing out). Anna Söderbäck also shared her experiences. Now she is calling for a new type of leadership.

OsloMet’s Rector Curt Rice wants to shake up academia

(Mar 12, 2018) Oslo has a new university, the third largest in Norway. OsloMet – Oslo Metropolitan University, will educate the future labour force across a range of professions. If Rector gets his way, gender equality will permeate everything. Digitalisation will be a top priority and programmes will be developed at the intersection of research, teaching and practice.

Nordic gender equality 2018 – from #metoo to new structures

(Mar 07, 2018) #metoo has thrown the spotlight on sexual harassment and indecent behaviour towards women, and marks a new chapter when it comes to discrimination. But loud voices, engagement and structural measures are all needed to achieve gender equality.

Innovation – a must for inclusion

(Feb 08, 2018) The economy is improving across Europe, giving hope to Europe’s young. But it is not enough: To include young people in work and education, change is needed. The Nordic Labour Journal illustrates how fresh knowledge combined with structural changes can give vulnerable youths the chance to blossom and young entrepreneurs possibilities to grow.

What is needed to include vulnerable youths into the labour market?

(Feb 08, 2018) Norway's government is calling for a joint initiative for youth inclusion. A laudable initiative. But government ministers should also look at the underlying structures if their measures are to achieve more than papering over the cracks. Perhaps we need to think differently about how to combine education and work.

Ásmundur Einar Daðason: Time to overhaul the social safety net

(Feb 08, 2018) Iceland’s Minister of Social Affairs and Equality Ásmundur Einar Daðason is also responsible for labour market issues. He met the labour market parties already the first week after becoming a government minister. Right now two issues are extremely important, he believes: To maintain the good relations with the labour market parties and strengthening the trust between the ministry, the government and the parties.

Norwegian employers: applicants with in-work training end up further down the pile

(Feb 08, 2018) Being unemployed as a young person has a stigmatising effect that can last for years. This is underpinned by comprehensive research. But is it always better to work, no matter what quality job you can get? Could it actually be better not to? Could a labour market course worsen your chance of employment?

The golden formula

(Dec 11, 2017) When we can watch a robot do a summersault, we know there has been a technological leap. We cannot know the consequences, but change is needed to face what is happening.

Magnus Gissler: Growing international interest for Nordic agreement model

(Dec 10, 2017) “In my view the trend has changed, and the interest for and understanding of the Nordic model has grown internationally. This also gives more energy to the Nordic cooperation,” says Magnus Gissler, General Secretary of The Council of Nordic Trade Unions (NFS).

Risk-based inspections on the wrong track?

(Dec 05, 2017) Nordic labour inspection authorities still have some way to go to perfect their methods for identifying businesses for inspection. But critics who imply that these authorities lack the will to seek out risk, are off target.

Europe takes on social injustice – does the Nordic region show the way?

(Nov 23, 2017) The social pillar has been missing from Europe’s development. The Gothenburg summit presented a new future. Not everyone enjoys the result, and there are differences of opinion within the Nordic region too. When national interests are at stake, and businesses say no, you get disagreements.

Matilda af Hällström, entrepreneurial Nordic Council lobbyist in Brussels

(Nov 23, 2017) It is an active 24-year-old which the Nordic Council has chosen to be its first local representative in Brussels. Matilda af Hällström is already busy finding out how the Nordic Council can improve its cooperation with the EU and within the EU.

Why working life is key

(Oct 23, 2017) The thinking surrounding the working environment is changing. Demands for new knowledge and increased productivity, an ageing population and not least the unfathomable costs of a bad working environment are all factors that call for fresh thinking. What works? Paying your way out of the problems, or putting work’s content centre stage? And what happens in the new labour market which is now emerging?

Pål Molander: The Nordic region must not forget the importance of a good working environment

(Oct 23, 2017) A good working environment is good for business, says Pål Molander, Director General at the National Institute of Occupational Health. What is more: The Nordic countries have successfully adapted the working environment in the face of a changing labour market. The working environment has been a strength in the past, and must remain so in the future, he says.

Ragnhild Lied – Head of Nordic trade unions guarding the Nordic model

(Sep 19, 2017) Globalisation, technological developments and a changing labour market are all challenges to organised work. Trade union leader Ragnhild Lied is at the frontline fighting labour market crime, the shadow economy, new organisational structures and the weakening of the working environment act.

The necessary skills at the right time

(Sep 19, 2017) Finding a good match is not always easy, especially in the labour market. As the labour market is transforming at lightning speed, the need for skills increases. The opportunity to get adult and continuing education becomes equally important. But how to do it? The Nordic Labour Journal looks at possibilities and practice in the Nordic region.

The inequality pain threshold has been reached

(Jun 22, 2017) The inequality pain threshold has been reached. The OECD now wants the world to think again about what the term economic growth should entail.

Luca Visentini: The OECD must follow up its new narrative of inclusive growth

(Jun 21, 2017) The European Trade Union Confederation, ETUC, criticises what they see as poor correlation between the OECD's macro-economic analysis and the strategic recommendations given to individual member countries. The advice does not reflect a new narrative about inclusive growth.