Youth — Nordic Labour Journal

Finland's Anni Sinnemäki: passionate about an individually tailored welfare system

(Aug 31, 2010) Finland's Minister of Labour wants to make individuals visible. Young people should not be seen as a uniform group but as separate people with different needs. In Finland a lot of time has been spent analysing each person's situation, and as a result, she says, the state can offer more rational measures tailored to the individual's needs.

Denmark's massive bid for youth employment and education

(Jul 01, 2010) Fighting youth unemployment is a top priority in Denmark. A range of new measures are in place to get more young people into education.

Youth unemployment: Iceland fights on many fronts

(Jul 01, 2010) Unemployment used to be a relatively unknown phenomenon in Iceland. But it skyrocketed with the 2008 financial collapse.

Employers offered wage subsidies to hire young people in Finland

(Jul 01, 2010) Finland's youth unemployment exploded last winter and is now nearly level with that of Spain. The government woke up to the fact in late spring and has introduced wage subsidies targeted at young school leavers and those who cannot find a job.

Iceland's 0utdated benefit system

(Jul 01, 2010) The Icelandic Prime Minister, Johanna Sigurdardottir, used her National Day speech to point out that most households were still struggling with the fallout of the 2008 economic collapse.

Italy's young hope to work before they're old

(Jul 01, 2010) The path from higher education to a steady job is particularly painful in Italy. Many quit their studies or end up in long-term unemployment at the end of their studies. Teacher Francesca Seguela is happy to have a few hours of summer work after spending months unemployed.

OECD: Urgent measures needed to fight youth unemployment

(Jul 01, 2010) Youth unemployment is rising dramatically and the trend is set to continue in 2011 according to the OECD. At the G20 meeting of labour ministers Stefano Scarpetta encouraged governments to act immediately. The first thing to do, he said, is to make sure youths have something to live off while they're unemployed.

The hidden costs of youth unemployment

(Jul 01, 2010) Youth unemployment creates scars which follow people for the rest of their lives. One of the hidden costs of being unemployed when you're young is that decades later you take home less money than those who weren't unemployed when they were young. There is also the higher risk of becoming unemployed again, and many unemployed youths become marginalised with no links to work or school.

Red cabinet member - impatient in the long run

(Jun 30, 2010) Audun Lysbakken swears that it is he - and not the media - who will set the agenda for his ministry's work. That means working on long-term, preventative measures to avoid people becoming social outsiders - results of which will not show up on statistics for another 10 to 15 years.

Labour ministers up the fight to prevent a lost generation

(Nov 26, 2009) How do you fight youth unemployment? That was the theme when Nordic labour ministers met in Reykjavik in November. One in five European youths is unemployed. There is fear of a lost generation. The Nordic countries focus on education and help on an individual level to help young people into working life.

The need for a comprehensive youth policy

(Nov 25, 2009) Labour ministers want an overview of all measures targeted at youth across all policy areas in the Nordic countries.

Tailored and targeted measures to help young Danes

(Oct 26, 2009) Denmark is launching a tailored and targeted drive for 15 to 17 year-olds to get them into education or work. The Danish government plans to spend 1.25 billion Kroner (€170 million) over three years to see the plan through. But the Danish Confederation of Trade Unions says a threat to cut youth benefits is a slap in the face of the weakest families.

Youth, unemployment and new thinking

(Sep 22, 2009) New thinking is needed if the young generation is to secure the older generation of the future. Youth unemployment is on the rise and is forecasted to continue growing in 2010. For many there is real danger of permanent unemployment. Nordic Labour Journal takes a look at how unemployment affects Nordic youths.

Downturn hits youth hardest - Sweden takes undesirable lead

(Sep 21, 2009) An economic downturn often hits young people fastest and hardest. The current crisis is no exception. The Nordic countries usually boast some of Europe's lowest unemployment figures. Now 27.3 percent of Swedish 15 to 24 year-olds are out of work.

Knowledge bank to help young outsiders

(Sep 19, 2009) By 2013 the European Solidarity Foundation (ESF) will have funded 1,000 projects in Sweden alone aimed at young workers and those who fall outside the labour market. The resulting know-how is taken further by The Swedish National Board for Youth Affairs and the Employment Service with their project "Young Workers".

Class decides young adults' options

(Aug 15, 2009) Social background plays a major part when young adults consider their chances of fulfilling their professional dreams. Old structures go and the individual takes centre stage, forcing people to carry responsibility for their own success or failure. No matter where you work, the group matters less and less.

Social entrepreneurs fighting for outsiders

(May 01, 2008) At Stockholm's “Fryshuset” (the Cold Store) a 25-year-old social entrepreneurship is turning the destructive forces which often plague social outsiders to positive forces and insider status. New methods grow to meet new demands. The aim is to catch youth at risk of falling outside of society, to recognise their potential and believe in their power so that they could stay in school and later enter working life.

Employing the last unemployed

(May 01, 2008) Out of a total of 25 million people in the five Nordic countries, there are now only 422,000 unemployed. April saw the Norwegian unemployment rate plummet to 1.6 per cent. Denmark is close with 1.9 per cent. The numbers for Iceland and Sweden are somewhat higher, with 2.3 and 3.2 per cent. Finland has 6.8 per cent.

Reaching the fringes - a more including working place

(May 01, 2008) Never before has the Nordic labour market been in such good shape. 2008 will be the best year ever for newly qualified jobseekers with higher education. But there are still large groups on the fringes of the labour market. These are groups who need a different approach. Denmark trains mentors who look after those in need of special attention.In Sweden, “Fryshuset” tries to stop young people falling outside society.

Renewed vigour for working life

(Sep 01, 2005) Denmark enjoys EU’s lowest unemployment rates among the young, but too few take higher education. NLJ explores how to get the young going by ”leading them by the hand”.