Nordic Region
Strengthening Nordic welfare state cooperation
Youth unemployment is a worry across the Nordic region. When Nordic labour ministers met in Svalbard recently they agreed to identify the good examples where employers help include young people out of work and education.
Editorial: Nordic ministers’ fruitful Svalbard meeting
Norway’s Minister of Labour Hanne Bjurstrøm wanted to celebrate Nordic cooperation and invited her colleagues to Svalbard.
Challenges to welfare state at top of ministers’ in tray
Youth unemployment has high political priority in the Nordic region. At the latest Nordic Council of Ministers meeting, labour ministers agreed to encourage employers to take on some of the responsibility for young people who don’t work and who are not in education.
Catapulted into work?
A youth project in Åland called Catapult is aiming to integrate unemployed youths into the labour market. The name might sound a bit more dramatic than what actually faces its target group of 16 to 24 year olds. But it does say something about Nordic politicians’ expectations.
The Nordic model marries growth and equality
For five years now the Nordic model has been the subject of a study which aims to establish whether the model can manage to modernise. A conference in Oslo at the end of August marked the end of REASSESS, where 80 reports and five books were presented over two intensive days.
Swedish youths’ first job in Norway
Anyone moving to another Nordic country must have some money - the first pay check doesn’t come immediately, but the living costs do. In Norway you normally have to pay a three months’ deposit on top of the first month’s rent - enough to stop many young people in their tracks.
Editorial: The unacceptable consequences of border obstacles
A long and comprehensive job to find and solve the key problems met by Nordic citizens working in a different Nordic country is nearing its end.
Home address stops Valgerður’s maternity pay
An Icelandic woman who lives in Iceland but works for an Oslo-based business experienced the cross border commuter’s nightmare. Despite contributing to Norway’s national insurance fund since 2003, she receives no maternity pay. She doesn’t even know who will pay the hospital bill for when she gave birth to her son. Neither Norway nor Iceland wants to pay.
All problems are solvable - but new obstacles often emerge faster than old ones are removed
Border obstacles are words which don’t really do the issue justice. Getting across borders is the least of Nordic citizens‘ problems - they’ve enjoyed a common labour market and passport-free travel since 1954.
The typical cross border commuter is Swedish
A new Statistics Sweden survey due to be published in May shows Nordic cross border commuting increased by 166 percent between 2001 and 2008. Swedes are most likely to work in neighbouring countries, and now 80 percent of Nordic citizens who commute to Denmark and Norway come from Sweden. Higher wages seem to be the biggest draw.
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