In Focus
"Every Polish worker's dream is a steady job in Norway"
The sizeable immigration from former Eastern European countries to the Nordic countries - and to Norway in particular - calls for integration measures which also include labour migrants, say Norwegian researchers.
Finland is learning the meaning of immigration
Finland has taken longer to adapt its labour market to immigration than other Nordic countries. It is more than ten years ago now that the then Minister of Employment Tarja Filatov (Social Democratic Party) gathered Nordic integration expert to a meeting outside of Helsinki.
Positive prejudices benefit Icelandic immigrants
Being Icelandic can be an advantage if you're looking for somewhere to live and work in Norway. Icelanders themselves believe their historical roots in Norway are often the reason they’re well received by Norwegians. One anthropologist thinks Icelanders have an advantage over other immigrant groups in Norway.
From vulnerable woman to professional knitter
Danish social entrepreneur Nina Brandi has successfully involved vulnerable women in her knitting business mormor.no which sells hand and machine knitted products to a global market.
Partnerships could create more jobs in Europe
Labour market measures and various types of training are not enough, no matter how good they are. Job creation is the crucial thing and it must happen through cooperation between the public and private sectors and civil society. These were some of the conclusions when labour market experts met at the annual Employment Forum in Brussels.
Employers need help to hire marginalised people
Employers’ attitudes when it comes to hiring workers with reduced work ability is not necessarily governed by ill will. A targeted effort to support employers through a project running for several years in Satakunta in western Finland showed that they need facts and practical advise in order to successfully hire people who for instance have mental challenges.
Second-hand bikes showing the way back to the labour market
Jasmina Smajić Šupuk from Slovenia was unemployed for two years but had a background from voluntary organisations like Amnesty International. When she could find no employer who would take her on, she decided to start her own business — finding other people jobs.
Women less penalised for part time work than previously thought
Part-time work has few negative consequences for women in the Nordic region. New regulations have reduced the impact on pensions. A preschool teacher or enrolled nurse in Denmark or Norway who works part time for ten years still receives 98-99 percent of the maximum pension.
“Part time is about money, culture and morals”
There is an intensive debate on part time work in all of the Nordic countries. But this goes further than women choosing to work part time for certain periods. If gender equality is the goal, should women take on more full time work or should men work more part time?
Danish educator: my economy suffers because of part time work
Dorte Nielsen is one of many Danish female public sector employees in part time work. Her working life has improved but her economy has suffered.
British youth trapped in zero hour contracts
In the UK the use of so-called zero hour contracts is increasing in step with the country’s economic uncertainty. Employers say the contracts created jobs and give workers more freedom. Trade unions fight what they call the exploitation of young people.
More part time jobs mean worse working environments for young people
Young workers represent a heterogeneous group facing complex risks in working life. That means it is no longer enough to just focus on the young people themselves. In order to secure preventative working environment measures you also need to look at surrounding issues.
Call centres: young people's entry into working life
Few workplaces take on more diverse staff than call centres. Youth, pensioners, handicapped, immigrants – it is the attitude and voice that determines your success, not your background or look. Even so, one of the fastest growing sectors is struggling to find enough people who want to work.
Medical students won’t work at Iceland’s National University Hospital
Less than ten percent of Iceland’s medical students want to seek work at Iceland’s largest hospital, the university hospital Landspítalinn. Why? Bad working conditions, stress, low pay and long working hours.
Au pairs balance between cultural exchange and work
How far does our concern for young people’s working environment stretch? Does it go as far as to cover Filipino au pairs in Norway and Denmark? This month saw the start of a trial in Oslo against a host family who allegedly forced two au pairs to work 96 hour weeks.
Labour market education: a pathway to work? More knowledge is needed
Labour market education was the hot topic for the discussion between employment ministers and the social partners at the Nordic Minister meeting in Övertorneå on 27. august. The debate unveiled large differences between the Nordic countries, and a lack of knowledge about the efficiency of such measures. A new Nordic initiative aims to give a nuanced insight into systems and the way they operate.
Successful vocational training for long-term unemployed in the Arctic
The Arctic Vocational Foundation is a joint Nordic institution providing individualised training within more than 30 vocations to unemployed Finns, Swedes and Norwegians. This, is where Sweden’s Minister for Employment Hillevi Engström invited her Nordic colleagues and working life representatives to consultations. What makes this training so special?
More companies take responsibility in fight against youth unemployment
What does a successful anti youth unemployment project look like? The Nordic labour ministers have asked Danish consultancy agency Damvad to map Nordic youth projects that are based on cooperation between authorities and companies.
Finland: Adults with jobs seek out apprenticeships
In later years the EU Commission has been very interested in using apprenticeships to create more opportunities in the labour market for young people.
Could increased job engagement improve productivity?
There seems to be an obvious link between job engagement and high productivity. Nordic politicians highlight the work environment as a competitive factor and hope it can lead to increased growth. But it’s not that simple. There are loose cannons and lost sheep among workers too.
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