In Focus
Iceland reopens tourism – carefully
Iceland is beginning to open up for tourism after the severe effects of Covid-19 this spring. The virus meant most of the tourism industry had no customers and many companies had to close down. Today, most have reopened and try to attract domestic travellers while waiting for foreign tourists to return to Iceland.
Schleswig-Holstein – from conflict to peaceful border commute
Some 15,000 people commute to jobs across the border between Denmark and Germany, which is 100 years old this year. That makes the border region one joint labour market, yet one with widely differing legislation and workplace cultures on either side.
The Nordics must pull together to emerge from the epidemic
The Nordic countries will take historically huge steps to limit the economic and social consequences of the Corona epidemic. The governments sometimes chose different measures to fight contamination, with different economic consequences. To get out of the crisis, greater cooperation is needed.
Pandemic stresses already pushed Swedish employment service
As a result of the Corona pandemic, unemployed people are streaming to the Swedish Public Employment Service. This is putting pressure on an already strained organisation, which has cut 3,500 jobs since the spring of 2019.
The dancer who spreads joy with a new cultural phenomenon
A stop to public performances gave choreographer Yaniv Cohen (42) the idea for Flekk. A faceless creature giving work to furloughed dancers and birthday fun to children.
National decisions have major consequences for border regions
Activate the networks, develop the dialogues, identify the updates. These are necessary and urgent tasks for the Nordic border region information services, thrown up by the corona crisis. Öresunddirekt in Malmö remains closed to visitors. Behind doors, there is plenty of action.
The Öresund cooperation was set to expand – then corona hit
Billions of kroner. That is the estimated annual benefit for Denmark and Sweden resulting from a fully integrated labour market across Öresund. Nine focus areas have been identified and presented, ready for action as soon as the corona crisis ends.
Freedom of movement sacrified to protect Finnish population
Rapid measures and tough restrictions characterised the first Finnish reactions to the corona pandemic. As the only Nordic country it locked down an entire region, which included the capital city, from the rest of Finland.
Corona crisis drives up Nordic unemployment
Unemployment has risen dramatically across the Nordics since the emergence of the coronavirus. The countries have chosen different ways of handling the situation, however, based on different labour market models, measures imposed and the shape of the labour market.
Nordic labour market crisis: Professor sees hope
The coronavirus creates a crisis for Nordic businesses and workers, but hope too of a more social and green labour market and society, argues Henning Jørgensen, Professor of labour market policy and co-author of a new book.
Everyone at the Nordic House works from home
There were doubts at first at the Nordic House in Copenhagen as the corona epidemic became a reality. Should staff be sent home or not? On the Danish Prime Minister’s orders, all 130 staff have been working from home since 11 March. One of them is Anna Rosenberg, who lives in Malmö.
A sudden stop for Nordjobb as mobility became a dirty word
For 35 years, Nordjobb has found work for 25,000 Nordic youths who have wanted to try working in a different Nordic country. This year nearly all jobs have been cancelled due to the corona crisis.
Nordic students in Europe fall victim to physical land borders
An entire generation Nordic students have grown up in a borderless Europe. Thousands are studying in other European countries. Most went back home in March as old borders started being reinstated because of the coronavirus.
Norway finally joins dual citizenship club
Norway opened up for dual citizenship on 1 January 2020, not only as the last of the Nordics but as the last country in Europe. Ironically, not long after that, the borders closed because of the corona crisis.
Hospital wants to double the number of healthcare assistants
Will hiring more health care assistants make hospitals more efficient? Nurses at St. Olavs Hospital in Trondheim, Norway, welcome the hospital management’s aim to increase the number of healthcare assistants. They are happy to leave certain working tasks to the assistants, but several conditions must be in place before this can happen.
Gender equality: Finland improves more than any other Nordic country
Denmark moves into pole position as the Nordic Labour Journal publishes the 2020 gender equality barometer. But Finland enjoys the biggest increase of women in positions of power. The result is another shared bottom place with Sweden in the comparison between the five Nordic countries.
Three minutes less unpaid work for Swedish women
We are edging ever so slowly towards equal pay, according to the annual demonstration #lönheladagen (#payallday) which was held in Stockholm’s Sergels Torg. This year the participants made the shape of the time 16:09.
Lipsticks or bulls? Finland has changed after women came to power
There are great expectations linked to the new Finnish government. International media have celebrated Finland, the land of gender equality. Women lead the government and they are also younger than ever. Many also believe the content of politics and its execution change when women are “allowed to participate”.
Confronting sexual harassment at work in Denmark
The social partners and authorities are joining forces to confront widespread harassment in Danish workplaces, particularly sexual and gender-related behaviour which new research shows to hit far more women than men – including in politics and the IT sector.
Less part-time work to secure more “warm hands”
A major and urgent lack of trained social and health care assistants – so-called SOSUs – has led to a heated debate over the widespread use of part-time jobs in Denmark’s social and health care sector.
Document Actions
Follow us on Facebook
