News — Nordic Labour Journal

No female quotas for new Danish equality model

(May 22, 2012) The Danish government wants businesses to get more women into boardrooms but not by using female quotas.

Danes must tighten their belts

(May 22, 2012) Danes must work for longer to create new jobs and to secure a balanced budget by 2020. That’s the main conclusion of the Government’s 2020 plan for the Danish economy.

How about a personal trainer - for your brain?

(Apr 15, 2012) The Nordic Labour Journal can now add another job to the list of new occupations: ‘personal brainer’. The title holder is Finnish Reidar Wasenius. He recently made a 20 years old dream come true and opened a training centre for brains - BRIIM Center - in Helsinki.

Wide support for early retirement and flexjob reform

(Mar 08, 2012) There’s an increased drive in Denmark to stop young people ending up in benefit traps. Meanwhile there are cuts in subsidies to the flexjob scheme and early retirement.

OECD: Norway trumps sick leave costs of all industrial countries

(Feb 17, 2012) Norway’s unemployment is low and employment is high. But the costs related to sick leave and early retirement are double that of the OECD country average based on GDP according to the OECD Economic Survey of Norway.

The Commission wants to exclude small businesses from working environment rules

(Feb 10, 2012) In the Nordic countries small businesses must follow the same working environment rules as big businesses. Now the EU Commission wants to ease the regulations for smaller businesses.

OECD: health sector Finland’s problem

(Feb 09, 2012) The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s economic survey of Finland shows the country has done well during the debt crisis which has hit many Eurozone members. The country is not facing any imminent crisis, but needs a comprehensive reform of the state health sector.

Danes need to increase productivity

(Jan 31, 2012) The Danish economy is only slowly and very unevenly recovering from the financial crisis which is sweeping across most of Europe, says the OECD. Productivity growth is one of the main problems.

ILO warns of global employment crisis

(Jan 25, 2012) The economic crisis which began in 2008 has turned into a global employment crisis. 27 million people have become unemployed since the start of the downturn. 400 million jobs must be created in the next decade in order to keep up with an increasing global population.

Nordic cooperation for 2012 focuses on broad participation

(Dec 12, 2011) The welfare state in a Nordic perspective is the theme for Norway’s 2012 presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers. One priority will be the inclusion of exposed social groups in the labour market. The social partners will be important contributors during the presidency.

What do border obstacles cost the Nordic region?

(Dec 12, 2011) Is it possible to calculate how much the Nordic countries are loosing because of the many remaining border obstacles affecting the labour market? According to Copenhagen Economics no border obstacles would mean 3,000 to 6,000 more cross-border commuters. If all of them came out of unemployment it would save 4.2bn Danish kroner (€56m).

British unions on the warpath

(Dec 01, 2011) "This is just the beginning," said union leader Len McCluskey when nearly two million public sector workers joined the UK's largest strike in 30 years. On 30 November schools, hospitals, docks and airports were hit.

Collective bargaining under pressure as union membership plummets

(Nov 11, 2011) Danes - especially young men - abandon trade unions with record speed new figures show. Experts believe it can undermine the social partners’ self regulation - the so-called flexicurity model.

Nordic border obstacles higher on the political agenda

(Nov 10, 2011) Denmark’s new government has talked about it, the Finnish presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers has done something about it and when Norway takes over the presidency there will be increased attention from the Nordic prime ministers, Nordic parliamentarians and not least the responsible ministers. All wish to improve free movement within the Nordic region.

Iceland’s road to recovery

(Nov 10, 2011) Iceland has managed surprisingly well after the economic collapse of autumn 2008. Iceland’s government and the International Monetary Fund has staged a conference on Iceland’s road to recovery in Reykjavik.