Labour Market
Partnerships could create more jobs in Europe
Labour market measures and various types of training are not enough, no matter how good they are. Job creation is the crucial thing and it must happen through cooperation between the public and private sectors and civil society. These were some of the conclusions when labour market experts met at the annual Employment Forum in Brussels.
Second-hand bikes showing the way back to the labour market
Jasmina Smajić Šupuk from Slovenia was unemployed for two years but had a background from voluntary organisations like Amnesty International. When she could find no employer who would take her on, she decided to start her own business — finding other people jobs.
Do the statistics paint a true picture of youth unemployment?
There are considerable difference between the Nordic countries in their levels of youth unemployment and how long it lasts. But are some of the differences a result of the way in which statistics are gathered, and are Sweden and Finland really doing worse than any of the other countries in all aspects?
Elisabeth Svantesson is Sweden’s new Minister for Employment
On 17 September Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt appointed Elisabeth Svantesson as his new Minister for Employment. She replaces Hillevi Engström who became Minister for International Development Cooperation. The reshuffle was announced during the Prime Minister’s government declaration.
Labour market education: a pathway to work? More knowledge is needed
Labour market education was the hot topic for the discussion between employment ministers and the social partners at the Nordic Minister meeting in Övertorneå on 27. august. The debate unveiled large differences between the Nordic countries, and a lack of knowledge about the efficiency of such measures. A new Nordic initiative aims to give a nuanced insight into systems and the way they operate.
Successful vocational training for long-term unemployed in the Arctic
The Arctic Vocational Foundation is a joint Nordic institution providing individualised training within more than 30 vocations to unemployed Finns, Swedes and Norwegians. This, is where Sweden’s Minister for Employment Hillevi Engström invited her Nordic colleagues and working life representatives to consultations. What makes this training so special?
Denmark: More focus on job rotation
Job rotation is a golden egg which gets people into employment and improves the skills of permanent staff, according to the Danish government. The social partners agree. But it takes time to get businesses to use the scheme.
Denmark increases fight against social dumping
More fines for foreign companies and labour clauses in public contracts - these are the newest weapons in Denmark’s fight against social dumping. They will have an impact on social dumping but won’t eradicate it, thinks expert.
Sweden: “More social dumping” after easing of labour immigration laws
In December 2008 the law for labour immigration into Sweden for people from outside the EU and EEA was changed. The labour market test was abandoned and today individual employers decide whether there is a shortage of labour. Critics say this means many employees no longer are protected by the law.
Emigration threatens the Baltics
Emigration from the Baltic countries threatens to undermine their entire social structure. Now the Nordic Council of Ministers wants to map the migration and its consequences. NLJ has met two Estonian construction workers who explain why they moved to Finland - and why they don’t plan to return.
ILO: Europe’s youth must get jobs and regain their confidence
The ILO will help put the youth guarantee into practice and make sure €6bn granted by the EU will be used to get Europe’s youth into work. The ILO will play a stronger role in helping crisis-hit European countries to improve the economic, social and political consequences of the crisis and to reestablish trust in the countries.
OECD: Norway’s welfare system needs reform to keep people with mental issues in work
Norway’s sickness benefit system allowing 100 percent compensation from day one is too generous. Financial incentives for all parties - employees and employers, unions, municipalities, schools and mental health care services - should help them take responsibility. That is the OECD’s message to Norway.
Nordic region next stop for the Portuguese?
Will the Nordic countries see an influx of labour form crisis-hit Mediterranean EU countries? Portugal’s emigration rose by 85 percent in 2011 and 240,000 Portuguese - two percent of the entire population - have emigrated in the past two years. In Switzerland they already make up the largest group of people born abroad. But are the Nordic countries equally tempting?
From Greek musical dream to Norwegian oil industry job
Iro loves music and wanted to learn how to build concert halls. So she moved from Thessaloniki to Trondheim to study acoustics. Meanwhile her home country was hit by a deep crisis. Now she is happy to have secured a job in the oil industry - and her brother Dimitris has joined her in Norway.
German-style pay cuts tempt Finnish employers, fuels mistrust
In Finland a hot debate on the lowering wages kicked off at the start of the year, reflecting a deep lack of trust between employers and employees which had been brewing for years.
New employment policy for Denmark
Municipal job centres will undergo a thorough review and might need a total overhaul. Previous employment measures do not work, the government says.
Anniken Huitfeldt: Minister of Labour with an eye for equality
”More people can do some work” says Anniken Huitfeldt when I meet Norway’s new Minister of Labour just as we enter 2013. There are parliamentary elections in September. So where will she make her mark in the next six months; where does she want to make a difference as Minister of Labour in Jens Stoltenberg’s government?
Climate changes arctic working life
The climate is changing much faster in the Arctic than researchers had predicted. This also means great challenges for working life in an area where between four and nine million people live, depending on how you define it. The Arctic Frontiers conference has been staged in Tromsø for the eighth time.
The Finish Aviation Union grows while moving away from Finnair
Members of the Finnish Aviation Union have gone through turbulent changes in recent years. Companies have been sold or partly outsourced, some have gone bust and employees have struggled to keep up with all the trade union negotiations.
Competition from Norwegian changes the Nordic aviation market
Developments in the aviation industry have presented new challenges to politicians, employers and trade unions. Deregulation and increased competition makes it cheaper to fly, which means increased growth. But market conditions could end up being tougher than the partly state owned airlines can handle.
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