All Articles — Nordic Labour Journal

The green transition needs public support

(Apr 29, 2021) The green transition and Greenland. Are the two linked? The election result which turned the power balance upside down on the island was influenced by a controversial mining project. It promised an abundance of rare earth materials needed for lithium batteries that are used in electric cars and wind turbines.

Nordic cooperation during extreme times

(Mar 24, 2021) The Nordic Council of Ministers is 50 this year. Meanwhile, the cooperation between the Nordic countries is being challenged more than ever since 1971. But many things have also worked and we have gained new insight into the importance of our open borders.

How to become equal despite being different?

(Feb 24, 2021) A society can be unjust in many ways – different pay for different genders or discrimination of those who do not fit into the traditional gender roles. But people within minority groups, like those with disabilities, can also be treated unequally.

From Faroese independence to Nordic cooperation

(Feb 01, 2021) When she was younger, Kristina Háfoss was known as one of the Faroe Islands’ top competition swimmers. In recent years she has been best known for her work for Faroese independence, but now she is also working actively for increased Nordic cooperation.

Do we know more about the USA than Europe?

(Jan 22, 2021) Many have become experts on US politics in the past 12 months. A few days ago, Donald Trump left the White House for the last time and Joe Biden was inaugurated as the 46th President of the USA. The transfer of power also has consequences for the Nordics and Europe.

Why minimum pay has become such a hot potato

(Jan 22, 2021) Why do Finns trust that the proposed minimum wage directive will not harm their labour market model, while the Danes and Swedes have no faith in the European Commission’s assurances? And why is the debate so heated? There are several reasons.

Even Santa Claus is hit by the Corona crisis

(Dec 10, 2020) The Nordic model is not past its best-before date. On the contrary, it is needed and it has shown its strength during the Corona pandemic. But it faces new challenges, which call for innovative welfare system finance solutions when new forms of employment and new technology disrupt entire sectors.

Magdalena Nour: Raze barriers against international talent

(Dec 10, 2020) Sweden lacks doctors, nurses, teachers and IT engineers, yet foreign-born job seekers struggle to access the Swedish labour market. If they make it as far as an interview, the experience often makes them feel surprise and frustration.

Towards happier times?

(Nov 11, 2020) A Covid-19 vaccine with a 90% success rate was a longed-for piece of news as the Nordic region is facing the second wave of the pandemic. This crisis also impacts on the integration of newly-arrived immigrants.

Life-saving communication

(Oct 07, 2020) The Corona pandemic continues its impact on Nordic citizens, who so far have supported their own governments and other authorities. In Iceland’s second city Akureyri, party politics have even been put aside and all political parties have joined forces on the city council.

Collective agreements important for people's trust in the future

(Sep 09, 2020) It has been trying times for everyone participating in the Nordic exercise known as collective bargaining. The social partners deciding, between themselves, how wages should develop, is one of the pillars of the Nordic model.

Susanna Gideonsson: We must defend the Swedish model

(Sep 08, 2020) Swedish LO’s new President, Susanna Gideonsson, has deep roots in the trade union movement. At 16 she started getting engaged in work against unfair conditions at work, and now she represents 1.4 million LO members across 14 unions. Her current main challenge is to protect the Swedish model against political interference in labour law reform.

Has the Corona crisis damaged the Nordic cooperation?

(Jun 14, 2020) Will the Nordics emerge strong after the Corona crisis, or has their cooperation been weakened by different forces triggered by the pandemic? The answer is, as so often is the case, complicated.

Christer Holmlund: Teachers' psychological strain a theme for NLS

(Jun 11, 2020) With the reopening of Nordic schools post-Corona, there needs to be more focus on teachers’ working conditions. They made a big digital leap with distance learning and this has been tiring, says Christer Holmlund, the new Secretary-General for NLS, the Nordic Teachers’ Union.

Future unemployment development still hard to predict

(Jun 11, 2020) Countries tackling the Corona crisis have been trying to bridge a few months while society closes down, allowing as many companies as possible to survive with employees and knowledge intact. This has been the case especially in the Nordics. Politicians have shown willing to spend money in unprecedented ways.

Who pays for Corona in the end?

(May 15, 2020) We all benefit from measures to prevent transmission, but the economic consequences are not equally divided. The contamination risk must therefore be measured against the economic consequences, now that the Nordic countries are entering a phase of reopening their societies.

A testing time for Director of Denmark's labour market agency

(May 15, 2020) As the top boss for the Danish Agency for Labour Market and Recruitment STAR, Maria Schack Vindum has been busy after Corona suspended large parts of the country’s employment policy, created mounting unemployment and cleared the way for new solutions.

Iceland’s unemployment soars fivefold

(May 15, 2020) In just four weeks, unemployment in Iceland rose fivefold. At the end of February, 10,000 people had no jobs. By the end of March, the number was 50,000. This has never happened before, says Unnur Sverrisdóttir, head of Iceland’s Directorate of Labour VMST.

A Norwegian NAV course seen through Latin American eyes

(May 15, 2020) I remember the day the Norwegian Labor and Welfare Administration, (NAV), sent me that letter answering about a non-economic help I have applied weeks before, I needed to speak with a counsellor. I said I was a journalist and that I wished to find a job which would match fields of my competence, so I wanted to speak with someone.

A Nordic state of emergency

(Apr 15, 2020) The corona epidemic has closed borders in the Nordic region and the rest of the world. In most countries governments have increased their powers and citizenship has become more important, while personal freedom has been restrained.