Nordic focus on new jobs without discrimination

Nordic workers must prepare for the green transition which is underway in the region, where some jobs disappear and others emerge. The need for upskilling of the countries' labour forces will therefore be high on the agenda when Nordic labour ministers cooperate.    

There will also be a need for Nordic cooperation to make sure that the Nordic labour markets will keep offering good working conditions with no discrimination. 

These are some of the aims published in the Programme for Nordic Council of Ministers’ Co-operation on Labour 2022-2024, which has now been published.

Nine goals

Nordic cooperation in the training and upskilling of the labour forces in the Nordic countries is one of nine strategic goals identified in the programme for the Council of Ministers for Labour towards 2025. Upskilling is a highly prioritised aim as new competencies and retraining are necessary, according to the programme. 

If not, Nordic workers will not be ready for the new jobs that will emerge while others disappear as the Nordics work toward the overarching strategic vision for the Nordic cooperation in 2030: The Nordics as the greenest, most competitive and socially sustainable region in the world. 

Gender equality everywhere

One of the programme’s other strategic goals is to work together to create good working environments also in green jobs, and a third objective is to strengthen equality in the workplace to ensure no workers are discriminated against because of their age, sex, gender identity, sexuality, ethnicity, religion or other beliefs or disability. This will inform all Nordic cooperation on labour market issues. 

During this period, the Nordic cooperation on labour will also draw on knowledge from the recommendations in the research project “The future of work”, and in 2024 the Council of Ministers will mark the 70th anniversary of the Agreement Concerning a Common Nordic Labour Model as a foundational element of Nordic cooperation.

The Nordic Institute for Advanced Training in Occupational Health (NIVA) is part of the Nordic cooperation in the labour market. In addition, the Council of Ministers for Labour works together with other Nordic institutions including the Nordic Welfare Centre (NVC) and NordForsk. 

The Council of Ministers for Labour are also providing some of the funding for the Nordjobb programme – a mobility and development programme for young Nordic people who want to work in a different Nordic country.