In Focus
Employers offered wage subsidies to hire young people in Finland
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
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
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
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
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.
Swedish work environment tempts Chinese
Oscar Berger is Sweden's Counsellor of Labour Market Affairs in Beijing. His job is to study the Chinese labour market and employment issues for the future - including Chinese competence and labour immigration.
Swedish companies decide labour immigration
In December 2008 Sweden introduced new rules for labour immigration making it easier for employers to recruit labour from countries outside of the Nordic region and the EU. In the year following the change the number of people applying for work permits rose by 30 percent on the previous year.
Nordic region balancing the need for labour and risk of dumping
It's a balance all the Nordic countries need to strike when they want to attract highly competent labour: how do employers gain easier access to necessary manpower, and how should countries protect their labour markets against social dumping?
State helps attract foreign labour
A state-run web portal and three regional centres bring Danish companies and foreign job seekers together.
Joint Nordic drive for more foreign labour
Nordic cooperation could help market the region as an attractive labour market for highly educated third-country nationals.
Indians discover there's more to Denmark than dairies
Denmark opened a Workindenmark office in New Dehli in October 2008. Now some Indians are slowly getting to know about this Nordic country. Danish authorities are holding back a larger recruitment campaign until they have more knowledge about what career opportunities exist for Indians in Denmark.
Finland's welfare system appeals to Indian IT engineers
Indian IT engineers Naveen Kumar Korupolu (32) and Basa Ravikiran (33) arrived in Helsinki from Hyderabad with their families five years ago. They have successfully fought off both long, dark winters and cultural differences. Finns are nice and life feels safe.
Nordic measures for sustainable working life
In the last analysis, the great challenge for the Nordics is the survival of the welfare state. To meet this challenge, more people must be in work, and they must work for longer than before.
An open EU labour market needs common occupational classifications
Sweden has been leading an ambitious EU project to translate more than 5,000 job titles and related terms into 22 languages. The project also describes the qualifications needed to get these jobs. This common 'encyclopedia' for working life aims to improve cross-border labour market mobility.
Job description: do as little as possible
They suddenly appeared in all European capitals and tourist cities: the living statues. Where did they come from? What are they thinking while they stand there, lifeless? What do they do in winter? We came with many questions and quite a few prejudices when we approached one of the most peculiar occupations there is.
A day in the life of the office nomad
Janne Saarikko (40) has changed jobs again - or rather his place of work. He's now at Arc Technology, an IT business in Helsinki. He moved here with two blue IKEA boxes; one containing a computer and some papers, the other with his espresso machine, cups and saucers plus coffee beans.
The future's bright for DNA mappers
Daniel Zakrisson was always interested in genetics. Not surprising, perhaps - he's an identical twin. He and his brother have taken part in twin studies since they were children. Now he runs a company offering to map your DNA.
It took 121 years to agree what psychologists really do
When Sigmund Freud treated his first patient in 1889 little did he know that 121 years later there would be 77,250 psychiatrists and 250,000 psychologists in Europe. That is also how long it has taken to agree on a common European standard of qualifications.
The life and death of a profession
How does a new occupation emerge? It's a simple question which is hard to answer. Why can't existing occupations cover the needs created by new technology and changes in consumer habits?
Focus on ill health means less absence
If you at an early stage enter a dialogue with workers who are ill, you reduce the level of sick leave. That's the experience in the Høje-Taastrup municipality west of Copenhagen.
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