Welfare — Nordic Labour Journal

Inga Sæland: From benefit recipient to government minister

(Apr 30, 2025) In Iceland, as in many other countries, politicians have done various things before going into politics. It is common for lawyers, journalists and company leaders to enter parliament for various parties.

Nordic municipalities hunting for solutions

(Mar 27, 2025) What happens when the local school is in danger of closing down? When the municipality lacks people to fill vacancies in the health and social care sector? These are the challenges facing Nordic municipalities. How do we solve them?

Little, strong Utsira – life in Norway’s smallest municipality

(Mar 27, 2025) When a young Julie Faldt Faurholt moved from Denmark’s smallest municipality – the island of Læsø – she was determined she would never live in such a small place again. But the island she lives on now is far smaller. With 217 people, Utsira is Norway’s smallest municipality.

Municipal Denmark to unite freedom and control

(Mar 27, 2025) “Setting free” is the topic of the day in Danish municipal and national politics. It is seen as a possible key to delivering welfare services to citizens despite fewer resources and labour shortages. Helsingør municipality has had good experiences, but the upcoming local elections could throw a spanner in the works.

Finland's April elections a test for local power structure

(Mar 27, 2025) Finland holds municipal elections in April. At the same time, there are council elections in 21 so-called wellbeing services counties. After the healthcare reform, they will be responsible for social and healthcare services. But interest in running as a candidate and in voting seems to be falling. Perhaps due to a worsening economy and reduced municipal powers. Or because elections have become too frequent.

Municipal Nordics face common challenges

(Mar 27, 2025) Municipalities across the Nordic region are under pressure from ageing populations, labour shortages and rising costs. The challenge is to deliver quality services in line with residents' growing expectations, according to the Nordic municipal organisations.

Who will look after Sweden’s growing elderly population as birth rates fall?

(Mar 27, 2025) Between 2013 and 2023, the number of people in Sweden aged 25 to 60 rose by 455,000. By 2033, that number is expected to grow by a further 13,000 people. There is a similar development in the rest of the Nordics and the EU, which for many municipalities means severe labour shortages.

Mobilising for a strong social Europe

(Apr 29, 2024) On 16 April, a new social declaration on the future of employment policy covering the years 2024 to 2019 was adopted in Belgian La Hulpe. The La Hulpe Declaration was signed by the Belgian Presidency on behalf of 25 countries. Sweden and Austria were the only EU states not to sign.

Lava-hit Icelandic town: "We don't know when we can rebuild"

(Jan 26, 2024) Grindavík has been largely empty since 10 November. The 4000 inhabitants of the Icelandic fishing town on the south coast of the Reykjanes Peninsula had to move as a lava corridor formed partly underneath the town, causing strong earthquakes and a lot of ground movement.

Fighting domestic violence in Latvia with Finnish and Norwegian support

(Aug 22, 2023) Just a lovers’ spat. A common explanation in Latvia for domestic violence, although legislation has been considerably tightened in recent years. The country’s Marta Centre, with support from Norway, is working to reduce stereotypical perceptions among Latvian government officials.

Scarpetta: The OECD has learned a lot from studying the Nordics

(Apr 27, 2023) Stefano Scarpetta is excited when he goes up to the podium at the start of the OECD and Nordic Council of Ministers conference in Reykjavik. "I don't know how you did it, but thank you for the fantastic northern lights that we got to experience last night!"

Iceland's record-breaking parental leave "not perfect"

(Sep 22, 2022) Iceland's parliament passed a new law on parents’ leave in 2021 giving each parent at least six months off – the longest paternity leave in the Nordics. Yet only six weeks can now be split between them, a big change from earlier when parents could split far more time between them. Usually the mother took the entire leave that could be split.

Dads on equal footing with mums in Denmark’s new parental leave law

(Aug 18, 2022) More gender equality in the labour market and more fathers on leave with small children. This is what Danish families can now look forward to after the government has given fathers nine extra weeks of earmarked paternity leave.

Faroe Islands: Four weeks enough for father and child?

(Aug 18, 2022) Faroese fathers use four out of the 52 weeks of the available parental leave while mothers use 48. The reason is economic, explains a father and the head of the Gender Equality Commission.

Trust levels in Sweden are swaying

(Sep 08, 2021) Trust between people in Sweden is high, just like in the other Nordic countries. And despite the pandemic and high death rates, trust remains high in Sweden compared to the rest of the world. But on a local level, there is a growing gap between areas of high and low trust, according to the latest Trust Barometer.

Cash benefit reform to fight child poverty in Denmark

(Jun 29, 2021) The safety net for Denmark’s poorest – cash benefits – should be completely reformed, argues a government commission. It proposes support for leisure activities for children in poor families and the opportunity for people to do some work without losing access to cash benefits.

Women’s pay increases, men win at lifetime earnings

(Feb 24, 2021) Swedish women's income averages 77.7% of that of men’s over a lifetime of work. This has not changed since 1995 and represents 3.2 million kronor (€319,000) on average. And government agencies contribute to this development concludes the Commission for gender-equal lifetime earnings in its first report.

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.

Vaasa wants to attract more people by making them the world’s happiest

(Nov 11, 2020) The Finnish city of Vaasa was at the very start of a campaign to make it the happiest city on Earth. Then corona hit. Now it remains to be seen whether the city and its inhabitants can create greater happiness in the depths of a crisis and a pandemic.

The skewed distribution of welfare

(Dec 17, 2019) In Finland, there has been a government crisis. In Sweden, the politicians quarrel over the Public Employment Service and in Norway the scandal where thousands were branded benefit cheats, continues. At the same time, the gap between the poor and the rich is slowly but surely increasing - even in the Faroe Islands where growth has been highest.