In focus
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.
Portrait
Wanja Lundby-Wedin - favours security in change
May 01, 2008 She is the president of LO - Sweden, the Council of Nordic Trade Unions and of the European Trade Union Confederation. Wanja Lundby-Wedin represents the employees of all of Europe. “As their representative of course I have power. That is just how it should be”, she says.
tema
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.
tema
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.
News
New ideas for virtual job seeking
May 01, 2008 After more than a decade with vacancy databanks on the Internet, it is hard to imagine a time when job searches were not made electronically. Information technology has widened the reach of the companies and multiplied the choice for the jobseekers. But has it improved the matching?
forskning
Striking the right work-life balance
Mar 03, 2008 There's a lot of focus on finding a balance between work and private life these days. Despite all the good intentions, it is hard to imagine real change will come about before we seriously address the difficulties in getting the right mix of family and working life.
News
The Nordic region: defying economic theory
May 01, 2007 The Nordic countries defy many of the traditional economic theories. Despite having large public sectors, strong unions, small wage differences, generous welfare states and high taxes, their economies have fared better than those of most countries.
Portrait
The Nordic women – leaders in gender equality
May 01, 2007 The Nordic countries are leaders when it comes to equality between men and women. Nowhere else do women have such good opportunities to participate in working life and build careers. Finland recently set a new world record in the number of women in government, with 12 women cabinet members.
tema
Chasing nurses and sailors - Norway's ethical dilemma of importing workers
May 01, 2007 The lack of skilled workers is a big problem in Norway, where unemployment has fallen to less than two percent. Healthcare and shipping might seem like very different sectors, yet both are trying to attract foreign workers.
tema
Labour shortage on everyone's lips
May 01, 2007 Are we running out of manpower? After years of economic boom in the Nordic countries, an increasing number of businesses say they can no longer expand simply because there are not enough qualified people to employ. Meanwhile, a demographic problem is lurking; the large groups of people born in the 1940s are about to retire.
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