Reforms — Nordic Labour Journal

The hole that must be filled: the energy crisis and EU's green transition

(Mar 25, 2022) There had never been so much money for the green transition in Europe as there was in February 2022. But then Russia started its war against Ukraine. Europe answered by cutting the import of gas and other fossil fuels from Russia. How will this impact on the green transition? Will it speed up or must someone pull the emergency brake? The answer might be both.

Will Greenland get the mining adventure off the ground?

(Dec 08, 2021) Greenland is about to introduce a range of reforms aimed at creating a well-functioning labour market and a stable framework for foreign investments in industries like mining.

The green transition needs public support

(Apr 29, 2021) The green transition and Greenland. Are the two linked? The election result which turned the power balance upside down on the island was influenced by a controversial mining project. It promised an abundance of rare earth materials needed for lithium batteries that are used in electric cars and wind turbines.

The many ways in which seaweed can save the environment

(Apr 29, 2021) In Denmark, researchers, companies, authorities and interest organisations have come together in Tang Nu (Danish for Seaweed Now), a project exploring how seaweed farming might help create cleaner oceans and how to use seaweed biomass as food and animal feed.

Norwegian petrol stations might fall victim to EVs

(Apr 29, 2021) The number of petrol stations has slowly fallen for many years. Soon there will be more EV chargers than petrol stations in Norway.

Nordic cooperation during extreme times

(Mar 24, 2021) The Nordic Council of Ministers is 50 this year. Meanwhile, the cooperation between the Nordic countries is being challenged more than ever since 1971. But many things have also worked and we have gained new insight into the importance of our open borders.

EU minimum wage directive: last stand for the Nordics?

(Jan 22, 2021) 2021 looks set to be the year when the issue of statutory minimum wages in Europe will be settled. The debate has lasted a long time and opinions are divided, but on 28 October 2020, the EU Commission finally presented a proposed directive which will be processed by the European Council and the EU Parliament.

Danish state pension reform aims to help worn-out workers

(Oct 07, 2020) The Danish government believes people should have the right to retire early on a state pension if they have been working since they were teenagers. Trade unions are rejoicing while employers and others have their doubts.

Tuula Haatainen new Finnish Minister of Employment

(Dec 16, 2019) Experienced Haatainen (59) joins a government which features numerous young female minister. So what experience do Finnish politicians have from real working life? The question arose with Finland’s sudden change of government in mid-December.

Basic income made Finns happier

(Mar 06, 2019) Finland’s basic income experience came to an end 2018. The 2,000 unemployed people who received a basic income for two years instead of other benefits did not work more in the end, but they grew happier.

The platform giants are profitable – but create few new jobs

(Jun 22, 2018) The digital revolution will transform the work force in the 21st Century, just as the industrial revolution. But technology will create a host of new type of jobs and challenges as society moves from muscle and brainpower to data power, according to professors Bo Dahlbom and Ragnar Torvik.

OECD: The crisis is over, but collective bargaining is needed for wage growth

(Jun 22, 2018) For the first time, more people are now in work in OECD countries than before the 2008 economic crisis. But the increased employment rate has not led to higher wages. The OECD says collective bargaining represents one of the most important tools for increasing living standards.

OECD Deputy Secretary-General Mari Kiviniemi: Sticks to facts and fears protectionism

(Jun 22, 2018) Former Prime Minister Mari Kiviniemi has spent nearly a lifetime in Finnish politics. As OECD Deputy Secretary-General she has spent most of her time advising the world’s governments on development and growth. At year’s end it is over. Now she wants to help Finland prosper as leader for the Finnish Commerce Federation.

The Disruption Council explores the future

(May 28, 2018) Long before the Danish Disruption Council ends its work, it has already identified a range of ways to secure that digitalisation, robots and artificial intelligence (AI) increase wealth and improve welfare, even though many traditional jobs will disappear.

Digitalisation now also concerns people with higher education

(May 28, 2018) Camilla Tepfers’ choice of words is surprising as she describes the skills needed when machines have learnt what we thought only humans could to: Those who can tolerate boredom are the winners, she might say. Or those who consider things in more depth.

Denmark’s second largest city explores the sharing economy

(May 24, 2017) Citizens of Aarhus municipality can move around in shared electric cars and cultivate the soil in new city gardens on municipal land. The government has designated the municipality as a pilot city for the sharing economy, and a range of activities are already up and running.

Digital revolution in the nursing home

(Oct 14, 2016) At the Solbjerg nursing home, new digital solutions have freed up more time for employees to spend with the residents, and this is just the first phase in a digital revolution. In ten years from now, all of the home’s offices will be gone, predicts the nursing home’s coordinator.

Securing Danish welfare through digitalisation

(Oct 14, 2016) Municipalities, regions and the central Danish government authority will explore new digital opportunities while maintaining citizens’ experience of the public arena as an accessible partner. Many public sector institutions are already well underway.

The Nordic model under pressure from new leadership methods

(Sep 16, 2016) New management models are threatening a long tradition of collective decision making within Nordic labour life, Nordic researchers say. Employees loose influence and their chance to cooperate to reach constructive solutions within organisations and businesses.

Trust makes the workplace more innovative

(Sep 16, 2016) Signe Jarvad is the boss of 60 employees at Copenhagen’s Leisure and Culture Administration and not afraid of making decisions. But not without sounding out all relevant parties, and she also leaves many of the decisions to the employees. She believes this has led to higher work satisfaction and more innovation.