News
Fierce debate about Norwegian sickness benefit
Jan 01, 2001 The costs of sick pay and sickness pension in Norway have increased dramatically in recent years and correspond to half the income from the oil pumped out of the North Sea. This is worrying in consideration of not only the costs but also the drain on manpower.
tema
Is Volvo a car or a computer?
Jan 01, 2001 The Nordic countries are well advanced in the use of the new technology. Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden are at the forefront of Europe in terms of home PCs, Internet connections, and, not least, ownership of mobile telephones. But the lack of skilled labour can be an obstacle to continued rapid development, warn many experts.
News
A Nordic strategy for maintaining a supply of labour?
Jan 01, 2001 As with the rest of Europe, the labour force in the Nordic countries will change in the future. There is a great risk of a future lack of manpower. Therefore discussions will start between politicians and the social partners regarding future manpower requirements. The challenge is to find strategies that cover future manpower needs, without renouncing fundamental value systems.
News
Nordic PESs cooperate effectively - but continued obstacles to a true common labour market
Jan 01, 2001 «The public employment services (PESs) in the Nordic countries cooperate effectively when employers are looking for labour from neighbouring countries. Contacts are made easily and trustfully, and are based on confidence and familiarity. » So says international director Peter R. Myklebust, of the Norwegian Directorate of Labour.
Portrait
The Nordic Ministers of Labour
Jan 01, 2001 The issue of the supply of skilled labour is high on the agenda in the Nordic countries, as well as that of getting everybody on track for the new knowledge-based society. We have put four questions to the Ministers responsible for labour market policy in the Nordic countries, in order to hear their views on these challenges.
News
The Battle against Monotonous work
Jan 01, 2001 Through the implementation of a series of initiatives, the Danish Minister of Labour, Ove Hygum, is aiming to improve conditions for the 200.000 Danish wage-earners who carry out the same monotonous work every day. However, according to the Confederation of Danish Industries (DI), it is being done in an amateurish way.
tema
The Dream Society
Jan 01, 2001 Rolf Jensen is the Director of The Copenhagen Institute for Future Studies. It is one of the world’s largest institutes for creating scenarios and making forecasts about the future. Nevertheless, at a meeting, he was unable to answer a simple question from one of his clients: What will follow the information society?
Portrait
The Nordic Ministers of Labour
Jan 01, 2001 The issue of the supply of skilled labour is high on the agenda in the Nordic countries, as well as that of getting everybody on track for the new knowledge-based society. We have put four questions to the Ministers responsible for labour market policy in the Nordic countries, in order to hear their views on these challenges.
tema
The hunt for skills
Jan 01, 2001 A central feature of developments is the hunt for skilled personnel. Developments are taking place so fast that it is necessary for people to constantly upgrade their knowledge. For instance, it is estimated that there will be three generations of technology during a graduate engineering course. The various countries are now going in for skills updates.
tema