In Focus
Gender equality barometer 2025
Gender equality in the top positions of power in the Nordic region in 2025 remains at a low level in NLJ’s gender equality barometer. Women get 68 points – 100 points mean full equality. But it would be even worse if Iceland did not for the first time in history elect both a female prime minister and a female president.
Iceland: Equality must be fought in every sector
In Iceland, women are now in a majority in the government coalition, and all three government party leaders are women. Many women also hold major public positions. In general, Iceland is considered one of the most gender-equal countries in the world. Yet despite the good progress, experts say that in many areas, Iceland is a long way from reaching equality.
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.
Sweden: Gender gap widens in education, economically and politically
Women are significantly more represented in higher education, especially in rural areas - a trend that is repeated in all Nordic countries. It has given many women a better life with higher employment levels and wages. However, the development also shows that men are falling behind.
Nordic maritime sector sets sail towards greater gender equality
Men still dominate the maritime industry. In certain onboard professions, women are almost absent. Creating a secure working environment for everyone, regardless of gender, is crucial to make the industry more equal, argue the initiators of the Nordic REDO Lookout project.
Equality under pressure – how the Nordics are fighting back
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.
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.
Finland’s Minister of Cooperation: Put young people first in difficult times
A father of five children, young people and education are among Minister of Cooperation Anders Adlercreutz’s areas of expertise. These are also among the focus areas for the Nordic countries in the coming year.
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.
Nordic youth on what is needed to give them faith in the future
Many young people in the Nordics have a dim view of the future. Some struggle with mental health, remain outside education and work, and many worry a lot about their own generation. The Nordic Labour Journal has asked what they think is needed to create a brighter future.
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.
Åland's government open for major offshore wind projects
“Åland must be an active climate and sustainability player and for us it is natural to exploit the wind as a resource. We don’t really have much else,” says Camilla Gunell, Minister for Infrastructure and Climate of the government that wants to open up for large-scale offshore wind power in Åland’s waters.
In Norway, fire extinguishers have entered the circular economy
Each year, millions of fire extinguishers that could have been reused are thrown out. At “Slåkkefabrikken” outdated extinguishers get a new lease of life. The circular economy is one of the tools used to reach climate goals. Still, the Nordic countries are lagging behind the rest of Europe.
More investments needed for Norwegian battery production to fuel the green transition
If the three Nordic countries Finland, Sweden and Norway worked together, they could become a major supplier of batteries and fuel the green transition, but professor Odne Stokke Burhei believes this requires a much greater willingness to invest than we have seen so far.
Five years left for Nordics to reach aim of being world’s greenest region
For five years, the Nordic Council of Ministers has been working with a vision to make the Nordics “the world’s most sustainable and integrated region”. This work has now reached its halfway point. Only five more years remain before the 2030 deadline.
Urban women in Denmark want to reform agriculture
Women from urban areas make up a majority of students in the Natural Resources bachelor’s programme at Denmark’s largest scientific research and educational institution, KU Science. The female students want to work towards healthier food systems, and job opportunities are good.
Special edition: AFI at 60
The Work Research Institute AFI in Oslo is 60 years old this year. It has been celebrated by a conference which presented some of the projects AFI researchers are currently working on. Sick leave is a hot political potato in Norway, and what is the true impact of working from home? The Nordic Labour Journal was there when State Secretary Per Olav Skurdal Hopsø openede the cionference and we have also interviewed AFI Director Elisabeth Nørgaard.
The joys of WFH versus the pressure of always answering emails
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.
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