News — Nordic Labour Journal

Future funding of geological research not so rock-solid

(Jun 29, 2021) The Nordic Volcanological Centre (NordVulk) has secured scholarships for many Nordic geologists to study or do research in Iceland. They have been able to study lava of various ages and, with luck, witness a volcanic eruption. But now NordVulk's funding is no longer rock-solid.

100 years of autonomy: Åland celebrates

(Jun 29, 2021) Åland is marking 100 years of autonomy from Finland with year-long celebrations. Not everyone wanted the autonomy solution at first, but it has turned out to be a winning ticket allowing Ålanders to create a prosperous island society. Yet Åland with its shipping and tourism industries has been hard hit by the pandemic.

Cash benefit reform to fight child poverty in Denmark

(Jun 29, 2021) The safety net for Denmark’s poorest – cash benefits – should be completely reformed, argues a government commission. It proposes support for leisure activities for children in poor families and the opportunity for people to do some work without losing access to cash benefits.

Nordic model well suited for future of work challenges

(Jun 29, 2021) Nordic labour ministers met digitally on 2 June to discuss the final report from the Nordic research project on the future of work. It warns of challenges to the Nordic model, but also concludes it is the best tool in the fight against an unequal labour market.

The Intensive Year: 12 months to find jobs for Swedish immigrants

(May 28, 2021) The Helsingborg employment service got ready as soon as the government announced its decision, and was prepared when the Intensive Year was launched on 15 April this year. One month later, 40 job seekers have been contacted. One of them is Mehmet.

Nordic youths want to learn more about work environments

(May 28, 2021) A Nordic project could help young people learn more about work environments, starting in elementary school. The Swedish Agency for Work Environment Expertise is preparing a module for 13 to 18-year-olds to improve their work environment knowledge, and the hope is to spread this across the Nordics.

Workplace battlegrounds: Are Norwegian employees being criminalised?

(May 28, 2021) How should an employer handle workplace conflicts? In Norway, it is becoming increasingly common to hire external consultants to perform a workplace investigation. The consultants often come from a legal or psychological background. Employees risk being exposed to situations resembling police interrogations – yet with no legal protection, warn researchers Bitten Nordrik and Tereza Østbø Kuldova.

The social pillar strengthened after EU Porto summit

(May 10, 2021) The EU’s informal summit in Porto, Portugal, on 7 - 8 May ended in a declaration which strengthens the social pillar’s importance in the Union. To the relief of Nordic member states, the introduction of statutory minimum wages was not mentioned in the final document.

Will English become the new Nordic language of cooperation?

(Apr 29, 2021) Which language should the Nordic region choose for its future cooperation? The common Scandinavian which is spoken by three-quarters of the Nordic population? Or do we take the consequences of an ever decreasing understanding of languages and turn to English? Is the Nordic identity at all built on a common language?

Greenland chooses new government in protest against controversial mining

(Apr 29, 2021) Greenland’s natural resource fairytale must not come at the expense of Greenlanders’ health, welfare and job opportunities. That was the clear signal from voters as they went to the polls to on 6 April 2021 and got a new coalition government.

Sexual harassment: new knowledge needed

(Apr 29, 2021) Sexual harassment in the care sector has had less attention than harassment in other sectors. Patients behaving inappropriately is often seen as part of the job. “High tolerance levels represent a problem,” says Bryndis Elfa Valdemarsdottir, who has been heading the Icelandic part of a Nordic project looking at this problem.

Disability in the workplace: More than new technology is needed

(Apr 17, 2021) Can new technology, and mainly digitalisation, help people with disabilities do better in the labour market? A new report from the Nordic Welfare Centre is not optimistic.

Nordic inspiration behind new EU directive

(Apr 06, 2021) Yet another EU directive dealing with wages is in the pipeline. This time it is about pay transparency and the aim is to improve compliance with the principles of equal pay for men and women. The proposal is said to be inspired by good experiences from Denmark and Sweden, but differs quite a bit from what is common practice in those countries.

Future Nordic mobility depends on crisis cooperation

(Mar 24, 2021) Increased Nordic cooperation is needed before Nordic citizens can regain pre-Corona levels of confidence to apply for jobs, study or buy second homes in a different Nordic country. That was the message at a conference on border obstacles on Nordic Day 2021.

Finland and Sweden: one year, two cities, one closed border

(Mar 24, 2021) In Sweden, the talk was about Finland “closing the border to Sweden”. In Finland, it was called “necessary domestic border controls”. It has been more than a year since the Corona pandemic changed everyday life in the most integrated region of the Nordics – the twin cities of Tornio and Haparanda.