All Articles — Nordic Labour Journal

The minimum wage — threat or opportunity?

(Feb 07, 2015) Stop worrying and join the debate about a legally binding minimum wage across the EU. That’s the bombshell from Bente Sorgenfrey, the new President for the Council of Nordic Trade Unions, NFS. Is fear for the debate the real problem, or is a statutory minimum wage a real threat to the Nordic model? The Nordic Labour Journal kicks off the debate in this month’s theme.

Minister for Strategic Development Kristina Persson: make the Arctic “green”

(Feb 07, 2015) So far she has been the least visible minister in the Swedish government. That’s about to change as she is setting up a think tank in the government offices.

New tendencies are focusing minds

(Dec 12, 2014) The OECD leaves little doubt that the Nordic region has come through the crisis better than most other countries, with low unemployment, high employment and little inequality. But take nothing for granted. New tendencies are focusing minds. Organised labour is under pressure while the sharing economy spreads at an ever faster rate. The Nordic Labour Journal checks out the facts.

Gerd Kristiansen: Norwegian LO leader with a backbone

(Dec 12, 2014) There is tension in the air. The leader for Norway’s largest labour organisation is incensed with the government’s labour policies and its lack of cooperation on the proposed new work environment act which would grant employers more powers to hire people on temporary contracts. Her determination can be felt across the room.

Women could determine the Nordic model’s future

(Dec 12, 2014) A high employment rate for women is crucial to the future of the Nordic model. This was the main message from the OECD’s Mark Pearson as the report ‘The Nordic Model – challenged but capable of reform’, was being discussed at the meeting of Nordic labour ministers.

Knowledge and efforts needed for a better work environment

(Nov 12, 2014) We all want a working life we can live with. How do you achieve that? We have asked people in workplaces which have won awards for good work environments, experts and others who are serious about the work environment: what is needed to create change for the better?

Ylva Johansson: Minister for Employment with a feminist agenda

(Nov 11, 2014) Her ambitions are clear: youth unemployment is priority number one. Second on the list is to match jobseekers and jobs. She wants to improve working conditions in female-dominated workplaces and she will fight for more social rights within the EU.

Threats and Possibilities facing Nordic Working Life

(Nov 03, 2014) Guy Standing has analysed the devastating effects for the labour market of deregulation and un-limited competition and found a new social class emerging from the shattered well fare society – the precariat – “The Dangerous Class”.

Social scientists must guide us out of the crisis

(Oct 15, 2014) "There is a fire of resentment burning across Europe, and there’s an urgent need to calm tensions. Social scientists need to get involved. Dogmatic economists have been allowed to dominate the debate for too long," says Maurizio Ferrera, Professor at the University of Milan.

A guarantee for the future?

(Oct 15, 2014) There are fewer young people outside education, employment or training in Denmark than in Sweden. Why do the Danes succeed? While all of Europe is learning from the Finnish youth guarantee, the Nordic Labour Journal has spoken to Nordic youths about their experiences, and examined how countries succeed with their measures. Central to them all are vocational educations, apprenticeships and internships.

Kvinfo Director: The Nordics can’t afford not to be gender equal

(Oct 15, 2014) Modern gender equality must liberate both sexes, and the Nordic region must be at the forefront of this. It is too expensive not to, says Nina Groes, Director at the Danish Centre for Information on Gender, Equality and Diversity, Kvinfo.

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.

Society’s watchdog in danger?

(Sep 12, 2014) When journalists and spin doctors swap jobs, should we worry? If professional advisors and communications workers have more influence than politicians, is it a risk to democracy? When journalism becomes a victim to cuts, what happens to quality? And when there are two communicators for each journalist, what happens to society’s watchdog?

Feminists, but also masculinists

(Sep 12, 2014) The Nordic region has cooperated on gender equality for 40 years. It has been of great importance for equality’s progress and has improved the lives of Nordic citizens, said Eygló Harðardóttir, Iceland’s Minister of Equality during the anniversary celebrations in Iceland on 26 August. Where is the debate today? Is there a need for a new equality narrative?

The Faroe Islands’ future must be more than fish

(Sep 12, 2014) What will the Faroese live off when there is no more fish? Is the answer oil or tourism? The important thing is to create jobs for women in the archipelago which is more patriarchal than other parts of the Nordic region.

Mikael Sjöberg: rebuilding trust in the Public Employment Service

(Sep 11, 2014) Mikael Sjöberg again leads one of Sweden’s most important working life institutions. His challenge is to build trust in the Public Employment Service, which has come in for a lot of criticism.

Look to Iceland

(Jun 17, 2014) “Look how well the Icelanders have recovered from the crisis, “ says Christian Kastrop, Director at the OECD. And we will; our theme this time is Iceland’s transformation since the crisis hit in 2008. We also follow the report on the Nordic model, first launched in Reykjavik, to the OECD’s Paris headquarters.

Stine Bosse: Keep the Nordic region a sweet spot

(Jun 17, 2014) The Nordic region is a privileged sweet spot, and should remain one. But it means fully embracing the EU says Danish Stine Bosse, named one of the world’s most powerful businesswomen many times over.

A piece of Nordic contemporary history

(May 08, 2014) On 22 May 1954 the agreement on a joint Nordic labour market was signed. 60 years on the Nordic Labour Journal talks to Nordic citizens who in each of the six decades tried their luck in a different Nordic country — and we look at how the agreement came to be.

The technology leap - a taste of the future

(Apr 11, 2014) Artificial intelligence. The words stimulate the imagination and creativity. What can a robot do? What can 3D technology do for us? How many care sector jobs will be replaced with welfare technology? And imagine what information this editorial might contain if it was written by a robot? This month the Nordic Labour Journal offers a taste of a future with new technology.