News 2015
Technology and cooperation key for sustainable development in the Arctic
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’.
Denmark: more refugees and immigrants into work
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"
“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.
Norway: strike against labour law reform, tough conflicts ahead
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.
Finland’s changing labour market
Finland is struggling to emerge from the economic crisis, and it is being felt in the labour market. Only one in ten Finns believe the situation will improve this year. Nearly half of them believe things will get worse, according to a working life barometre from the Finnish Ministry of Employment and the Economy.
New work environment agreement focuses on prevention and permanence
Denmark’s work environment will be strengthened over the next four years with 135 million Danish kroner (€18m), mainly aimed at preventing violence, threats, workplace accidents and burnout.
Victory for the Finnish Electrical Workers' Union in EU Court of Justice
”6 – 0 to the Finnish Electrical Workers’ Union!” ”The greatest thing to have happened since the Laval judgement!” Reactions from the employees’ side were exuberant when the Court of Justice of the European Union announced its preliminary ruling in the case concerning 186 Polish electricians who had been posted to Finland.
Finland: Unemployed youths get more attention
Finland’s youth guarantee means young people have become a higher priority within the public sector.
The Nordics: Failing reforms exclude youths with disabilities
More flexibility does not lead to a more inclusive labour market. Political reforms carried out in the Nordic region in the first decade of the millennium do not have any measurable effects either, concludes the Nordic research group behind the report ‘New Policies to Promote Youth Inclusion’.
Mediator needed to help with working conditions for posted workers
The Swedish government should appoint a mediator or a working group to help the parties in certain trades agree on which conditions in their collective agreements that should also cover posted workers. This is the proposal from the Inquiry into new rules on postings, which presented its conclusions on 31 March.
Another EU win for Finnish trade unions
Finnish trade unions have had another major victory in the EU Court of Justice. This time it is about collective agreement rules which restrict employers’ rights to use agency workers. The judgement is important also from a Swedish point of view.
Estonians are returning home
The Baltic states are loosing active citizens fast, but in Estonia the authorities have started counting them back in.
Experts propose a more labour targeted and user friendly NAV
One year has passed since Norway’s Minister of Labour and Social Affairs Robert Eriksson appointed the Expert group tasked with undertaking a comprehensive review of the Labour and Welfare Administration NAV under the motto ‘From bureaucratic reform to user reform’. Now the report is ready: ‘A NAV with possibilities.’
New portal for Nordic jobs
Today jobseekers in the Nordic countries must apply to the individual countries’ employment services which advertise jobs in their own individual languages . Now a new service aims to make it easier to find jobs.
Poul Nielson to map Nordic labour cooperation
The entire Nordic labour sector will be analysed by Poul Nielson, a former Danish government minister and EU Commissioner, on behalf of the Nordic Council of Ministers. Nielson will present recommendations for how to strengthen Nordic labour market cooperation.
June general strike looms in Iceland
Iceland is already dealing with several strikes and more trade unions are threatening industrial action. There will be a general strike in June if the parties fail to reach a collective agreement. The strikes have already become the largest labour market conflict in Iceland in 25 years.
Labour market and gender: tough challenges for Finland’s new government
Negotiations to form a new government in Finland are over and the new government ministers in the three party coalition are ready to start the job of lifting the country out of the economic crisis. For the past ten years there has been plenty of political activity but the results have not materialised. Labour market reform is one of the most difficult issues.
Complicated relationship between EU and Nordic labour law systems
The courts have acquired a greater role in the labour law system at the expense of politicians and the social partners. And knowing what the law actually means is becoming so difficult for employers and trade unions that the rule of law is under threat, argue the authors of a new book from the Nordic Council of Ministers.
The Nordic region’s remote areas need a dynamic employment policy
“Whether unemployment is high or low, it is crucial to have a concrete and dynamic employment policy which can withstand the changing economy. Employment is key for a society’s long term survival, especially in small societies.”
Time pressure bigger work environment issue in the Nordics than rest of Europe
Psychosocial risk factors are identified as the main challenge by the European Agency for Health and Safety at Work in their second major survey of work environments in European countries.
Sweden tightens public procurement rules
Swedish authorities could become obliged to make sure that public procurement suppliers pay their employees in line with collective agreements. A government appointed commission has just suggested how this could work.
OECD: Big increase in number of foreign born doctors and nurses
Over the past ten years the number of nurses and doctors who have moved to one of the 38 OECD countries has risen by 60 percent. The number of foreign born doctors now makes up nearly one third of all doctors in Sweden and one in four doctors in Norway.
Unity needed to deal with EU pressure on the Nordic model
Adjustments and unity will be needed to maintain the unique Nordic collective-bargaining model. That was the assessment from Denmark’s Minister for Employment, Danish EU politicians and the social partners at a conference in the wake of a new report about the Nordic collective-bargaining model and the EU.
Danish unemployment benefit reform around the corner
Denmark's more than century old unemployment benefit system is being modernised. Considering the reactions to the proposal for a more flexible system from the commission on unemployment benefits, political negotiations will be tough.
Stress and time pressure a challenge to Nordic work environments
Time pressure is a considerably higher psychosocial risk factor in Nordic businesses compared to the rest of Europe. Nordic businesses also highlight a lack of time as the main obstacle to a good work environment.
Nordic comparative report: Youths loosing their footing
The share of youths who loose their footing is increasing in all of the Nordic countries. Although youth unemployment is a major problem, decision makers should make a more concerted effort to identify and support those most at risk.
Cross-border education at the Cap of the North extended
Since 1991 Swedish, Finnish and Norwegian youths on at the Cap of the North have been able to meet and get vocational training under the auspices of Utbildning Nord (Education North) — a unique cross-border education strategy. On 19 October the scheme was extended until 2019.
Norway: Government to strengthen measures aimed at youths
Unemployment is growing in Norway, especially among young people. The government’s 2016 budget proposal includes a youth package aimed at preventing more young people from falling outside of education and working life.
New proposal for improved control of posted workers’ terms and conditions
Tearing up Lex Laval would improve the terms and conditions for foreign workers in Sweden according to the Posted Workers Committee review of Lex Laval, which was presented to Sweden’s Minister for Employment Alva Johansson on 30 September.
Has EU gender equality policy lost its momentum?
Yes, reckons Finnish researcher Johanna Kantola. The EU Court of Justice, meanwhile, is having a positive impact through judgements which could also have major consequences in the Nordic region, according to Kirsten Ketscher, Professor of Social Security and Welfare at the University of Copenhagen.
New regulations improve Swedish workers’ protection against bullying
Swedish employers are to become better at preventing people going off sick because of unhealthy workloads or bullying at work. That is what new regulations from the Swedish Work Environment Authority aim to achieve. They contain clearer rules for how employers should work with organisational and social work environment issues.
Europe wants to turn waste into gold
Leading Danish politicians and businesses believe the circular economy is about to become a mega trend in Europe. Now they get backing from a new study which lists the enormous economic benefits which following a better use of resources. A new EU plan is in the works.
Finland: Social Impact Bonds to help refugees
Finland launches a social innovation programme allowing private investors to finance measures to improve the integration of refugees. They will be able to profit from solutions which helps solve problems for the public sector.
Anniken Hauglie is Norway’s new Minister of Labour and Social Affairs
Prime Minister Erna Solberg changed party colours at one of the most important ministries when Norway got a new Minister of Labour and Social Affairs - Anniken Hauglie from the Conservative Party.
Nordregio: Young Icelanders shy away from traditional occupations
Icelandic youths are not interested in a future career in agriculture or fisheries. The only animals they will consider looking after in the future are pets. They would rather become coaches or work in the fitness sector, according to a fresh study from Nordregio which has mapped the future perspectives of young people in the Arctic.
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