Inclusion — Nordic Labour Journal

12 recommendations to get more people in vulnerable groups into working life

(Feb 26, 2025) The need to increase labour market participation among vulnerable groups in the Nordics has long been high on the Nordic Council of Ministers’ agenda. A new report points to flexibility, individually tailored support and cooperation with employers as the key to success. NAV employees in Trondheim are already on the ball.

Equality under pressure – how the Nordics are fighting back

(Feb 21, 2025) More than 50 years after the cooperation on gender equality began, the Nordics are doubling down on the promise to ensure that the region will continue to lead the way in the fight for equality and inclusion.

AFI research: The sick leave debate needs readjusting

(Nov 17, 2024) Norway has one of the highest sick leave levels in the world. So far, no remedies have proven effective. The debate about sick leave and social exclusion sometimes needs a bit of guidance to stop it from going off track, says AFI researchers.

The joys of WFH versus the pressure of always answering emails

(Nov 17, 2024) More than half of Norwegian employees have the opportunity to work from home, any time of day or night. But at what price? AFI researchers are looking at how the increased use of home offices impacts the work-life balance.

The Swedish football club using sports against unemployment and for inclusion

(Sep 19, 2024) The challenge for sports clubs is to attract those who have not yet become engaged, especially those who need support on their journey toward a healthier life and who want to become more involved in society. It’s about more than just building muscles.

Young Norwegians increasingly unhappy with working life

(Aug 15, 2024) The 2024 Working Life Barometer shows more people are struggling financially, more fear losing their jobs or becoming ill and many young people are unhappy with working life.

Employment specialist helped Norwegian Julia (17) find her dream job

(Feb 29, 2024) Close cooperation between two public authorities in Norway is giving young people with mental health challenges a new chance in the classroom or in the labour market. Employment specialist Anne Tvedt helped Julia Engan Pettersen find her dream job.

Immigrants struggle to find work in the Nordics despite labour shortages

(Feb 29, 2024) Many immigrants in Nordic countries are left without jobs, despite labour shortages. The Finnish company Snellman has a lot of experience with hiring immigrants. “Immigrants are very keen on getting a job and they are keen workers. They are loyal employees,” says head of HR Ann-Marie Eklund.

How to include more people in the Nordic labour markets?

(Nov 28, 2022) If every Nordic country learned from each other’s successes, 700 000 more people could be in work, according to Danish researchers Sarah Kildahl Nielsen and Vibeke Jakobsen.

Are left-handers discriminated against?

(Aug 11, 2022) 13 August is Left Handers Day. The day celebrates the uniqueness and differences of left-handed people and was launched 46 years ago. Yet it has still not had a major impact, and it remains a bit of a mystery why left-handed people have never organised better.

Social sustainability under pressure from many sides

(Apr 25, 2022) Street battles in Sweden between people from disadvantaged areas and the police have less to do with a Danish politician wanting to burn the Koran and more to do with a lack of social glue between different groups.

The train to Russia stopped running. Lappeenranta limps on.

(Apr 25, 2022) The borderless Nordic region turned out to be an illusion during the pandemic. It hit the Øresund region, border trade between Sweden and Norway and the citizens of Haparanda and Tornio. But Finland has an eastern border where traffic has ceased because of the pandemic. Today the war in Ukraine has made the situation even worse for Lappeenranta – the city with the closest links with Russia.

Russians in Finland "not fooled by Russian propaganda"

(Apr 25, 2022) Maria Taina-Parviainen is one of many Russians who have moved across the border to Lappeenranta. 21 years ago she moved from the Leningrad region to take up an apprenticeship in Finland.

Fast track for refugees took opposite directions in Sweden and Norway

(Apr 25, 2022) “Fast track was imported from Sweden, but came to Norway to die!” That is the subtitle of a chapter in a new book about how Norway’s welfare agency NAV has worked with inclusive workplaces, learning and innovation.

Swedish Employment Service wins award for anti-violence work

(Feb 12, 2022) Over the past four years, the Swedish Public Employment Service has worked to increase awareness around violence in close relationships, which is often a hidden cause of long-term unemployment. They have trained 6,000 staff as well as suppliers and clients. Now they have been awarded the 2022 Swedish Gender Equality Award.

Denmark's stricter requirements cut refugee employment rates

(Sep 08, 2021) A tougher immigration policy in Denmark has had the exact opposite effect of what it intended to have, a new analysis shows.

The many languages of working life

(May 28, 2021) In this edition, we look at work from several different points of view. But in reality, it all comes down to the same thing. Work gives us an identity and experiences we would not have otherwise. That is why we are vulnerable when our professional roles are under attack. Or if we never get the chance to work.

Improved labour market access for sign language users

(May 28, 2021) Earlier this year the Norwegian parliament passed a new language act that states that Norway is multilingual. For the first time, Norwegian sign language was recognised as the national sign language, equal to spoken and written Norwegian as a language and cultural expression.

Iceland: Immigrants are better protected, says MIPEX

(Jan 22, 2021) Sweden is still top, but Iceland saw the greatest increase in the 2020 MIPEX migrant integration policy index. The country’s index rose by seven points from 49 to 56 between 2014 and 2019, on a scale of 100. Sweden got 86 points, down one.

Magdalena Nour: Raze barriers against international talent

(Dec 10, 2020) Sweden lacks doctors, nurses, teachers and IT engineers, yet foreign-born job seekers struggle to access the Swedish labour market. If they make it as far as an interview, the experience often makes them feel surprise and frustration.