Financial Crisis — Nordic Labour Journal

Iceland: Trust in politicians almost regained

(Sep 08, 2021) On September 25 the Icelandic voters will elect a new parliament. Majority governments used to be the rule, but with more parties and four years with Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir, the rulebook has changed.

Three Swedish stories of service during the pandemic

(Jun 29, 2021) To be of service. A task with varying content depending on the business. A common thread these days: How to best get through the pandemic. In Höganäs it happened on a local as well as on an international level.

How have the Nordics managed the Corona crisis so far?

(Feb 24, 2021) The Nordic countries have dealt with the economic crisis caused by the Corona pandemic in similar ways. As a result, unemployment is now falling back to more normal levels. A report from the Danish Technological Institute on commission from the Nordic Council of Ministers argues it is time to adjust the support measures.

Akureyri’s “unity government” to tackle the crisis

(Oct 07, 2020) All five political parties on the city council of Northern Iceland’s largest city, Akureyri, have formed a coalition. Until the next election, they must work together to tackle the crisis created by the Corona pandemic and the loss of tourism income.

Labour shortage for Nordic agriculture and forestry

(May 15, 2020) As unemployment rises rapidly, many Nordic farmers worry how they will get hold of foreign seasonal workers. The hardest hit are gardens, strawberry farms and other agriculture.

OECD: Politicians put too much trust in the GDP

(Dec 17, 2018) Do we have the necessary statistics to govern our societies in the best possible way? Or is a blind trust in statistics to blame, at least indirectly, for the collapse in trust in authorities after the financial crisis? Before dismissing this as a conspiracy – the theory was presented by none other than the OECD.

From poverty to dream holiday in Bali thanks to Airbnb

(May 22, 2017) The sharing economy is thriving in Iceland. It has not had major consequences for the country’s labour market, and the development has happened on its own terms – driven by tourism. Icelanders share their houses and cars with tourists. Iceland’s tax authorities are now going to work together with Airbnb.

Social scientists must guide us out of the crisis

(Oct 15, 2014) "There is a fire of resentment burning across Europe, and there’s an urgent need to calm tensions. Social scientists need to get involved. Dogmatic economists have been allowed to dominate the debate for too long," says Maurizio Ferrera, Professor at the University of Milan.

OECD: Wage cuts will not create jobs

(Sep 03, 2014) Industrialised countries have reached the limit for how much wages can be cut. Since the start of the economic crisis, wages have fallen in real terms for half of all employees in OECD countries. Further cuts could be counter-productive and damage growth.

The guardian of welfare during Iceland’s crisis

(Jun 17, 2014) Five and a half years after the Icelandic economy collapsed, we now know children were doing better during the crisis than before, even though the opposite had been feared. This is according to the Welfare Watch, a body set up soon after the crisis hit which brought many good forces together to protect Icelanders’ welfare.

Harpa in Reykjavik: Iceland’s symbol of recovery

(Jun 17, 2014) Despite being so heavy hit by the crisis, Icelanders continued construction of the new music house Harpa in Reykjavik - the only building project which kept going during the crisis. And as Iceland is bouncing back, the award-winning building Harpa has become the symbol of Iceland’s economic recovery.

ILO: Europe’s youth must get jobs and regain their confidence

(Apr 16, 2013) 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.

Iceland: Banking staff face health problems after crash

(Apr 16, 2013) The health of banking staff has deteriorated since the 2008 Icelandic banking crash. Those who lost their jobs and found new ones are doing better than those who stayed in their original jobs. The number of bank workers visiting health clinics doubled between 2008 and 2012.

The Nordic role in Europe’s crisis

(Mar 08, 2013) Participants at the conference ‘Nordic ways out of the crisis’ agreed the Nordic countries can play an important role in southern Europe’s current economic crisis. Yet just how the Nordic countries can work together and how much support there is for such work remains uncertain.

Editorial: Labour migrants head North

(Feb 08, 2013) Iro came first. She arrived from Greece to study. Then the crisis hit, Iro found a job and stayed. Now her brother Dimitris has joined her to look for work in Norway. Do they represent a wave of job seekers from crisis-hit southern Europe to the Nordic region, we wonder in this month’s theme.

Spanish seek Icelandic jobs every day

(Feb 08, 2013) Every day someone from Spain applies for a job in Iceland. Some Spanish travel there and go from workplace to workplace looking for jobs. Meanwhile, Portuguese who worked in Iceland before the financial crisis are getting back in touch with old employers to apply for work.

The Icesave conflict: Iceland did not break the rules

(Jan 31, 2013) Icelanders rejoice. The Efta court says Iceland did not break EEA rules when refusing to pay compensation to customers of the Icelandic online bank Icesave. Prime Minister Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir is critical of the other Nordic countries for not supporting Iceland during the dispute.

Print shrinks as advertising goes online

(Nov 15, 2012) Newspapers are the fastest shrinking businesses in the USA according to a LinkedIn survey. The social network has looked at their members’ stated occupations. The number of journalists fell by 28.4 percent between 2007 and 2011. Europe and the Nordic countries are right behind this trend.

Jobs disappear before the ink is dry

(Nov 15, 2012) Finnish journalists have faced major changes in recent years - many of them negative ones. Jobs are disappearing and media owners’ visions for the future are bleak.

Half of older Icelanders are still working

(Feb 09, 2012) Older Icelanders enjoy working and do so for longer than other older people in the Nordic region, the Baltics and the UK. Being active in the labour market is highly valued among the Icelandic.