News — Nordic Labour Journal

Norway: strike against labour law reform, tough conflicts ahead

(Feb 07, 2015) Will more short term contracts lead to more jobs for more people? Will it make it easier to access the labour market? Would it create more jobs or just more temporary staff? These questions are at the core of Norwegian workers’ fight against changes to the working environment act.

Denmark: more refugees and immigrants into work

(Feb 07, 2015) Far too few refugees and immigrants in Denmark are in work, and there is broad agreement something needs to be done about it. Yet there is little support for the Prime Minister’s proposal to get refugees and immigrants to clean up Denmark’s beaches and fix swings in kindergartens.

"LinkedIn can complement the employment service"

(Feb 07, 2015) “We must improve matching in the labour market, and the employment service needs help from other players to do this. LinkedIn could play an important role in a well functioning labour market,” says Sweden’s Minister for Employment, Ylva Johansson.

Technology and cooperation key for sustainable development in the Arctic

(Feb 07, 2015) The Nordic region needs to speak with one voice and develop joint technology if the northernmost parts of Finland, Norway and Sweden want to achieve sustainable development in the Arctic, according to the report ‘Growth from the North’.

Sweden’s government crisis means less money for working life

(Dec 08, 2014) On Wednesday 3 December Sweden’s Prime Minister Stefan Löfven announced snap elections will be held on 22 March 2015. His centre-left minority government’s budget was voted down in parliament, which also means the promised increase in spending for the Public Employment Service and the Work Environment Authority will not materialise.

Iceland: fewer take paternity leave

(Dec 08, 2014) When Iceland introduced paid paternity leave in 2000 it was a huge success. New fathers welcomed the opportunity to stay at home with their children. But the trend has not continued, and fathers’ income opportunities have worsened. Families can no longer afford the cut in earnings.

Arch rivals form coalition government in Greenland

(Dec 05, 2014) The Siumut party secured a narrow victory in Greenland’s general elections and has formed a government with the two centre-right parties Atassut and the Democrats. The latter was a particular surprise choice.

The Laval judgement: Swedish government wants more power to unions

(Dec 04, 2014) The Swedish government says the EU adjustment went too far when Swedish legislation was changed as a result of the EU Court of Justice’s judgement in the Laval case.

Jobs top of the agenda at meeting of Nordic prime minsters

(Nov 10, 2014) Removing border obstacles and increasing investments to create jobs are some of the visions shared by the Nordic prime ministers. During the Stockholm session of the Nordic Council, they also expressed a wish to expand the Nordic region as a brand.

Make room for creativity in the workplace

(Nov 10, 2014) Forget sending employees to courses in creativity and focus on creative breaks during the working day instead. That is one of many pieces of advice from Denmark’s new professor of creative leadership, businessman and billionaire Christian Stadil.

Social Europe under pressure

(Oct 24, 2014) There’s a conflict between the EU’s social ambitions and national autonomy, not least when it comes to the labour market, Sweden’s newly elected Minister for Employment Ylva Johansson told a seminar in Stockholm on 22 October.

Finnish cases in EU Court of Justice could have Nordic consequences

(Oct 14, 2014) Is the Finnish system of universally applicable collective agreements incompatible with the free movement of services? That is what an advocate-general at the Court of Justice of the European Union suggests in a fresh opinion. The case is only one out of three current ones which could have a major impact on the Nordic countries’ labour markets.

Stefan Löfven (S): Sweden will be a global role model

(Oct 03, 2014) Prime Minister Löfven called his new government feminist as he presented it in parliament on Friday. It has 23 government ministers — 12 women and 11 men plus the Prime Minister — and is a coalition comprising the Social Democrats and the Green Party. Work was top of Löfven’s speech.

Researchers: Employment has become more important than job content

(Sep 10, 2014) Working life has been on the agenda during the Swedish general election campaign, and especially unemployment. More jobs are needed. Yet visions for the content of those jobs have not figured politically — an inconsistency highlighted by a group of researchers at a recent meeting in Stockholm.

OECD: Wage cuts will not create jobs

(Sep 03, 2014) Industrialised countries have reached the limit for how much wages can be cut. Since the start of the economic crisis, wages have fallen in real terms for half of all employees in OECD countries. Further cuts could be counter-productive and damage growth.