Employment
Articles on employment in chronological order.
Nordic municipalities hunting for solutions
What happens when the local school is in danger of closing down? When the municipality lacks people to fill vacancies in the health and social care sector? These are the challenges facing Nordic municipalities. How do we solve them?
Little, strong Utsira – life in Norway’s smallest municipality
When a young Julie Faldt Faurholt moved from Denmark’s smallest municipality – the island of Læsø – she was determined she would never live in such a small place again. But the island she lives on now is far smaller. With 217 people, Utsira is Norway’s smallest municipality.
Rich in iron ore, poor in inhabitants
In Pajala in Northern Sweden, the local authority is grateful for the mine but also struggles to maintain and recruit workers.
Municipal Denmark to unite freedom and control
“Setting free” is the topic of the day in Danish municipal and national politics. It is seen as a possible key to delivering welfare services to citizens despite fewer resources and labour shortages. Helsingør municipality has had good experiences, but the upcoming local elections could throw a spanner in the works.
Finland's April elections a test for local power structure
Finland holds municipal elections in April. At the same time, there are council elections in 21 so-called wellbeing services counties. After the healthcare reform, they will be responsible for social and healthcare services. But interest in running as a candidate and in voting seems to be falling. Perhaps due to a worsening economy and reduced municipal powers. Or because elections have become too frequent.
The salmon millions keeping a small Norwegian island society alive
Millions of kroner from the fish farming sector contribute to the community and activities in Frøya – from carnival and language cafés to the downpayment of municipal debts. But with most eggs in one basket, the municipality is vulnerable.
Who will look after Sweden’s growing elderly population as birth rates fall?
Between 2013 and 2023, the number of people in Sweden aged 25 to 60 rose by 455,000. By 2033, that number is expected to grow by a further 13,000 people. There is a similar development in the rest of the Nordics and the EU, which for many municipalities means severe labour shortages.
12 recommendations to get more people in vulnerable groups into working life
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.
Boyhood researcher: "We need to exercise our reading muscle"
There is still work to be done to make Finnish schools more gender equal. An ambitious gender equality programme is needed, believes the Finnish boyhood researcher Harry Lunabba. Both boys and girls would benefit from it. Falling PISA literacy scores can have long-term consequences for pupils.
Greenland’s labour market partners defend the Nordic model
Employees and employers in Greenland are presenting a united front in defence of the Nordic model at home but assess the threat from the USA differently.
Do we listen enough to young voices?
What is it like to be young in the Nordic region today? We tell the story of young people on their way into working life and the story of some who need help to find their place in the community. Measures aimed at children and young people are high on the political agenda.
Norwegian youths set up company to help other youths
Ungt entreprenørskap – a Norwegian entrepreneurship education programme – helps youths access the labour market. At the youth company RaskJobb, five 17-year-olds want to show that young people can and want to work.
Swedish Emilia got a job thanks to Youth Power 2.0
Despite a growing business sector, many young people were long-term unemployed in Åstorp in southern Sweden in the spring of 2024. Now, new job opportunities have been created through building relations with both private and municipal employers. The motto is: Everyone must get a chance.
Danish students turn entrepreneurs to make a difference
An increasing number of students at Aarhus University choose entrepreneurship to solve important social challenges. One of them is medical doctor Christina Gravgaard Andersen, who has set up her own company while studying.
Why Swedish countryside youths are ahead in the labour market
In Sweden, fewer young people from the countryside go on to university or other higher education compared with city youths. Yet more young people in rural areas – and especially men – start working earlier than their peers in towns and metropolitan areas. Many also work while studying.
Early intervention helps Icelandic youth back on their feet
In southern Iceland, a youth centre is working closely with other municipal agencies to ensure young people do not slip through the cracks on their journey to further education or the labour market.
New Nuuk airport could provide lift for Greenland’s labour market
Direct cross-Atlantic flights to Nuuk could bring even more tourists to Greenland and in the long term encourage Greenlandic youths to get an education and find work in their home country.
Nordic governments' sigh of relief as collective bargaining rights still intact
Pilots and cabin crew do not perform work of equal value, thus it is not discriminatory when pilots receive higher travel allowances. This was the somewhat anticlimactic ruling from the EU Court of Justice in a case that Sweden and Denmark feared would set a precedent that could threaten the right to free collective bargaining. That did not happen this time.
All prim and proper in sports and construction
In this edition, we have two themes: The fight against work-related crime and Sport as occupation. We thought they were very different. But there are things in common also here.
Norway doing construction in a more orderly way, but EU temping rules might stop it
When Oslo’s new government quarter is constructed, it is done with workers who have regulated wages and working conditions. This is ensured, among other things, by the controversial hiring ban.
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