tema
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Sep 2017
Restaurants break with old language norm – English makes an entrance
Sep 19, 2017 Finnish restaurateurs are worried about the lack of Finnish-speaking waiters. As a result, more and more restaurants now seek English-speaking staff. Meanwhile, trade unions sound a warning that many young people are leaving the trade because of low pay and a lack of workplace training opportunities.
In focus
A Nordic drive for lifting competencies
Sep 19, 2017 A changing labour market always needs new competency. Employees and employers must stay up to date. Workplaces from fitness centres to fisheries need to secure the knowledge which new developments demand, whether it is digitalisation or yoga. All the Nordic countries are looking at how to organise their adult and continuing education.
News
Icelandic continuing education: “Employees became more interested in their jobs"
Sep 15, 2017 One in three adult Icelanders had no more than an elementary school education in the year 2000, and got no continuing education through their work. Since then, the social partners have developed a learning centre for further training of people with lower education levels. This has helped reduce the share of lower educated. It used to be 33 percent, now it is 25 percent of the low-educated workforce.
News
Agreement on what constitutes minimum rates of pay for construction workers in Sweden
Sep 13, 2017 After nearly ten years of quarrelling, the Swedish trade union for construction workers (Byggnads) and their counterparts at the Swedish Construction Federation (BI) have agreed what the “minimum rates of pay” for constructions workers posted to Sweden should comprise. The parties think the same conditions should apply for public procurement of construction projects.
News
Erna Solberg heads for four more years as Norwegian Prime Minister
Sep 12, 2017 Erna Solberg carries on as Norway’s Prime Minister, but with a weaker parliamentary mandate. The Labour Party was the looser in Monday’s election. The Centre Party gained the most ground, carried forward by rural areas protesting against what they see as a threat to municipal independence.
In focus
The Nordics: More openness for labour market inclusion
Jun 22, 2017 The refugee crisis has led to more cooperation between the Nordic countries in order to find the best ways of including refugees into the labour market. But inclusion is also about being open to everyone who for different reasons struggle to get a foothold in working life. Danish municipalities show how success can be achieved when the integration measures feel meaningful to all involved.
News
Challenging globalisation’s winners: The OECD wants to bridge the divides
Jun 22, 2017 The OECD’s Stefano Scarpetta calls the new narrative a paradigm shift. We must change the ideas which have created an increasing gap between rich and poor, says Secretary-General Angel Gurría: Economic growth is not enough, we need a new vision for inclusive and sustainable development. The social dimension broke through clearly at the OECD Forum 2017.
tema
Polish immigrants in Norway – with only one foot in the labour market
Jun 22, 2017 Polish labour immigrants travelled to Norway rather than to Sweden or Denmark, which were closer, when Poland joined the EU in 2004. Most did not intend to stay, but after some years their families joined them in Norway. Because of short work contracts, the immigrants are in a kind of limbo. They have a job, but little prospect of promotion.
News
Everybody wants to know about refugees’ skills
Jun 22, 2017 While the Nordic countries tightened border controls and made it harder for refugees to seek asylum, they also changed their policies to help refugees get quicker access to the labour market. In Norway the asylum seekers can now register their skills by themselves.
tema
The Nordic region wants more refugees in work
Jun 22, 2017 The Nordic countries are leading the way when it comes to the inclusion of refugees, says the OECD’s Thomas Liebig. He holds up the unique structural introduction programmes as one example. The problem is that not many find work after finishing the programme. Norway’s Minister of Labour Anniken Hauglie wants to improve the way the measure is targeted in order to get refugees into the labour market.
tema
Refugee immigration not primarily about money
Jun 22, 2017 What do refugees cost? It is a concern for both proponents and opponents of welcoming refugees to a country. Yet research shows the challenge is more social than economic, where the major risk of alienation lies in the gap between those who have a job and those who do not.
tema
What does a stint in jail mean for getting a job?
Jun 22, 2017 A new study compares employment of previous inmates in four Nordic countries up until five years after their release. The aim has been to see whether former inmates in certain countries are more successful in finding work, and whether this is a result of the work of the correctional services or labour market measures.
Portrait
Luca Visentini: The OECD must follow up its new narrative of inclusive growth
Jun 21, 2017 The European Trade Union Confederation, ETUC, criticises what they see as poor correlation between the OECD's macro-economic analysis and the strategic recommendations given to individual member countries. The advice does not reflect a new narrative about inclusive growth.
News
Swedish port conflict could lead to change in legislation
Jun 21, 2017 A long-running conflict in the port of Gothenburg has made the Swedish government consider changes in regulations covering industrial action. The reason the conflict has lasted for so long is a seemingly unsolvable fight for positions between two trade unions which both represent dockworkers.
Editorial
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May 2017
A platform economy, on what terms?
May 26, 2017 Is the digital platform economy a threat to the Nordic model? Which strategies are needed in order to influence the development? Is a separate Nordic platform economy possible? The Nordic Labour Journal shines a light on the future of work.
News
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May 2017