Theme: Nordic working life facing up to changing times

Newsletter from the Nordic Labour Journal 12/2016

The Nordic DNA

More than 90 percent of Nordic women prefer to work outside of the home, according to the ILO survey which was presented at the Global Gender Dialogue conference during the labour ministers’ meeting in Helsinki. Luckily. Nordic women’s participation in the labour market is unique. Is there then anything we could learn from women in completely different parts of the world?

Three main strands for Norway's Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers

“This is exciting,” state secretary Christl Kvam told the Nordic Labour Journal as she debuted at the Nordic ministers’ meeting as a representative for the upcoming Norwegian Presidency.

Refugees as labour market resource – can Norway learn from Sweden?

There is an important Nordic debate on how to integrate refugees faster and better into the labour market. At the Nordic ministers’ meeting in Helsinki, the exchange of experiences and new policies inspired discussions and new ways of thinking.

Roskilde municipality thinks new to get refugees faster into jobs

Getting newly arrived refugees quickly into work is a high priority with Roskilde municipality. Experience shows that early and employment-focused activation helps all parties.

Denmark and refugees: Traineeships and wage subsidised jobs work best

Denmark has redoubled its efforts to get newly arrived refugees quickly into working for companies. Earlier they had to learn Danish first.

Nordic countries are trailblazers, but few women reach top positions

Women in the Nordic countries participate in the labour market to a greater degree than in any other country, and there are many good examples to be found here. But some glass ceilings remain unbroken, concluded the conference “Global Dialogue on Gender in the World of Work” which was held in Helsinki in late November.

Nordic men blind to women’s working life challenges

The Nordic countries stand out with higher levels of well-being than anywhere else in the world, explained by the fact that women are expected to be active in the labour market and make an important contribution to household income. Yet men do not understand that women are facing a harder time in the labour market than themselves.

Mandatory continuing and further education – possible in the Nordic region?

“The process is underway,” comments the former Danish government minister and EU Commissioner Poul Nielsson. In November 2014 he was asked to review the Nordic cooperation on labour market issues. At the labour ministers’ meeting in Helsinki he presented his proposals for reforms and got reactions from the ministers.

The ILO’s Deborah Greenfield: In dialogue with the Nordics on gender equality and the future of work

Deborah Greenfield was part of the transitional administration from Bush to Obama, she served as Deputy Solicitor for the U.S. Department of Labour, she was a legal expert for the USA’s largest trade union AFL-CIO. Now, as the Deputy Director General, she is about to take the ILO into a new era. Meeting Nordic labour ministers, Deborah Greenfield is impressed with the discussion.

OECD on Finland: Easy to get another job

Unemployment is high at over eight percent. But it is relatively easy to get another equivalent job. That is often forgotten in Finland. Thank the level of education for that! This is how leading daily Helsingin Sanomat comments the OECD’s fresh country report.

Jyrki Katainen: Populism threatens stability and risks increasing unemployment

The EU Commission’s Vice-President, responsible for jobs, growth, investments and competitiveness, is attacking populism, praises the circular economy and defends the EU Pillar of Social Rights in an interview with the Nordic Labour Journal.

Nordic countries positive to EU social pillar – but want to set wages themselves

We urge that the proposed European Pillar of Social Rights takes into account the special features of our labour markets and respects the role played by the social partners in the Nordic Region. That is what the Nordic countries’ labour ministers write in a joint declaration to the European Commission.

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