Inclusion — Nordic Labour Journal

More social enterprises on the horizon in Denmark

(Sep 06, 2013) Social enterprises are being promoted both by the Nordic region and the EU. Denmark’s government has launched a new strategy.

OECD: Norway’s welfare system needs reform to keep people with mental issues in work

(Mar 08, 2013) 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.

Anniken Huitfeldt: Minister of Labour with an eye for equality

(Feb 04, 2013) ”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?

OECD: Sweden has the most immigrants - Iceland has the most jobs for them

(Dec 13, 2012) Sweden has the highest proportion of immigrants. Iceland, where the number of immigrants has doubled in ten years, is fast reaching the same level.

Norway renegotiates tri-partite inclusive workplace agreement

(Nov 15, 2012) ‘Everyone’ was there when Norway’s Ministry of Labour staged its annual conference on the inclusive workplace agreement. It was also the first public meeting between the new Director General at the Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise and the President of the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions.

Editorial: Nordic ministers’ fruitful Svalbard meeting

(Sep 21, 2012) Norway’s Minister of Labour Hanne Bjurstrøm wanted to celebrate Nordic cooperation and invited her colleagues to Svalbard.

All problems are solvable - but new obstacles often emerge faster than old ones are removed

(Apr 15, 2012) Border obstacles are words which don’t really do the issue justice. Getting across borders is the least of Nordic citizens‘ problems - they’ve enjoyed a common labour market and passport-free travel since 1954.

Nordic ministers want a more open working life

(Dec 12, 2011) How do you open up the labour market for more people with disabilities? It is a hot topic. Despite crisis and unemployment taking hold, labour ministers keep their strategic focus on mobilising more people to join working life. They highlight the long-term need for labour and that all have the right to be fully part of working and social life. The challenge is to get working life partners to back their initiatives.

New Norwegian drive to find jobs for people with impaired work abilities

(Oct 12, 2011) Organisations for people with disabilities along with the social partners didn’t hold back their praise when Norway’s Minister for Labour Hanne Bjurstrøm and Minister for Children, Equality and Social Inclusion Audun Lysbakken presented their ‘Job strategy for people with impaired work ability‘ during the presentation of Norway’s 2012 budget on 6 October.

Welfare model put to the test

(Sep 07, 2011) The Nordic countries worked their way through the 2008 financial crisis. The welfare model largely shared by the five countries proved effective. Now the world economy is on shaky ground yet again. Can the Nordic model still be a third way between the more brutal Anglo-Saxon model and the lack of state financial control seen in many Mediterranean countries?

Riots highlight Manchester’s unemployed underclass

(Sep 07, 2011) What made hundreds of youths run amok in Manchester and other UK cities in August? Debate has been fierce in the weeks following riots that cost five lives and millions of pounds in damages. The political right blames a moral collapse, the left blames budget cuts and social deprivation. In Manchester the riots have led to a renewed focus on the large and growing gap between the rich and poor.

Language skills - the key that doesn't always fit

(May 10, 2011) Few statements enjoy such broad political agreement in the Nordic countries as this: language skills are key to both integration and working life. All five countries offer immigrants several hundreds of hours of free language courses, but they have chosen different models and put different demands on students.

Language training boosts self-confidence for Norway's Coke staff

(May 10, 2011) Coca-Cola Enterprises Norway started a successful language training programme in the workplace after a visit to another food and drinks company - the dairy group Tine.

Norwegian food industries offer in-house language courses

(May 10, 2011) Knowing a country's language is important to get a job. But language is also getting more and more important in order to hold on to that job as new technology is introduced, employers demand written documentation and linguistic skills become an increasingly important part of the daily tasks at work.

Free workplace language training in Denmark

(May 10, 2011) All foreigners with permanent residency in Denmark are entitled to Danish language lessons. Many language courses are held in the workplace, and businesses see the benefits of in-house language training.

English - Denmark's future professional language

(May 10, 2011) To get a job in Denmark you must learn Danish, but in the long term both private and public employers must accept English as the professional language, says Foreningen Nydansker (the association for the integration of immigrants into the Danish labour market), which represents 130 small and larger Danish businesses.

Job-related Swedish language training boosts employment

(May 10, 2011) Several larger municipalities in Sweden are making Swedish lessons for immigrants more targeted to the labour market. Language lessons are mixed with practical learning. Örebro municipality west of Stockholm represents one example where vocational education is mixed with language lessons.

Finland demands strong language skills

(May 10, 2011) Finnish can be a difficult language to learn. Many immigrants have found out the hard way. To get a job you need very good spoken and written Finnish. It is crucial to invest in language skills in order to fully take part in Finnish society.

Work is top priority in integration of Sweden's new arrivals

(Feb 09, 2011) As soon as newly arrived refugees are granted permission to stay in Sweden the process of getting them established in society begins. The goal is to cut the time it takes to get settled into the labour market. Those who want to can use personal guides who'll help them with work and integration.

Coaches compete for the unemployed Swedes

(Dec 03, 2010) The Swedish government has charged the Public Employment Service with procuring coaches worth 1.1bn Kronor (€12m) for the year 2009. This created a fast growing market for coaching. Today 900 businesses have a contract with the employment service. The contracts don't guarantee any customers, however, and the businesses offering coaches must do their own marketing.