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New Danish legislation to tackle social dumping on construction sites
Apr 30, 2025 Bigger fines and immediate shutdowns of construction sites. These are tools that the Danish parliament has granted the Danish Working Environment Authority to fight social dumping in the construction sector, which employs a rising number of immigrant workers who sometimes put their own lives at risk.
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A "Laval 2.0" case underway before the Swedish Labour Court?
Apr 30, 2025 Can Swedish trade unions take industrial action against foreign companies to make them pay occupational pensions for their posted workers? That is the question in a new case before the Swedish Labour Court, which bears similarities to the notorious Laval case that had far-reaching consequences for the Nordic countries.
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Nordic employment services adopt AI in reform drive
Apr 30, 2025 A new OECD report shows how all the Nordics are adopting artificial intelligence in their employment services, albeit at different paces and with varying strategies. Four out of the five countries are also rolling out extensive reforms.
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12 recommendations to get more people in vulnerable groups into working life
Feb 26, 2025 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.
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Nordic police cooperation – from policy to reality
Feb 26, 2025 Criminal networks operate where there is money, across borders. A new police station on the actual border between Norway and Sweden will soon be inaugurated, and in Malmö, there is an operations centre staffed by both Danish and Swedish police.
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Karen Ellemann: Nordic cooperation more important than ever
Jan 30, 2025 The Arctic has gone from being a region characterised by peaceful cooperation to a geopolitical flashpoint. This week, the Nordic Council of Ministers launched its tenth Arctic programme during the Arctic Frontiers conference in Tromsø. It allocates 30 million Danish kroner (€4m) over three years to strengthen social, economic and environmental sustainability.
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The Nordics lag behind in the fight against economic crime
Jan 30, 2025 Economic crime is a threat to the Nordic welfare societies, warned this year’s conference on the black economy. The fight against creative and innovative criminals needs more resources and better legislation, the trade union movement argues.
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Collective bargaining – where exactly does the EU stand?
Jan 30, 2025 Will there be any real change when the EU now aims to promote collective bargaining at all levels – or is it just pretty words? This was one of the questions discussed at a Nordic conference on current EU issues at the end of 2024.
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Icelandic fisheries risk zero capelin catch for the second year in a row
Nov 25, 2024 Capelin has been one of the most valuable species for the Icelandic fisheries industry and general economy this past decade. Its importance has varied, but throughout this century capelin products have accounted for 17 per cent of fisheries exports and 8 per cent of the market value, making it an important part of the industry.
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Difficult conditions for trans people in the Nordic labour market
Nov 25, 2024 Trans people are a particularly vulnerable group in working life and face higher unemployment levels, often insecure employment, lower pay and higher rates of sick leave than the majority population. This is according to the report ”Trans People’s Working Life Conditions in the Nordic Countries”, which was presented at a Nordic conference in October.
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Improved Nordic labour market statistics provide better insights
Oct 22, 2024 The Nordic Statistics Database, a collaboration between the Nordic Council of Ministers and the Swedish statistics and research company Statisticon, has undergone huge developments. This will benefit anyone working with comparative Nordic assessment statistics in working life.
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Swedish strip club challenges ban on night work
Oct 22, 2024 Should the employees at the strip club Club Heartbeat be allowed to work all night? No, says the Swedish Work Environment Authority. Yes, says the club’s owner, referring to a new collective agreement that allows exceptions to the Working Hours Act.
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Iceland facing watershed moment as PM calls snap elections
Oct 21, 2024 Iceland is heading for snap elections in November after the right-left coalition of Bjarni Benediktsson collapsed in October over a range of disagreements. Political scientists were not surprised and some predict a watershed moment in Icelandic politics.
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