In Focus
Nordic region next stop for the Portuguese?
Will the Nordic countries see an influx of labour form crisis-hit Mediterranean EU countries? Portugal’s emigration rose by 85 percent in 2011 and 240,000 Portuguese - two percent of the entire population - have emigrated in the past two years. In Switzerland they already make up the largest group of people born abroad. But are the Nordic countries equally tempting?
From Greek musical dream to Norwegian oil industry job
Iro loves music and wanted to learn how to build concert halls. So she moved from Thessaloniki to Trondheim to study acoustics. Meanwhile her home country was hit by a deep crisis. Now she is happy to have secured a job in the oil industry - and her brother Dimitris has joined her in Norway.
Doctors choose Sweden for work security and job satisfaction
Several Swedish embassies in southern European countries have seen a sharp increase in the number of people who are desperately seeking work. Meanwhile Swedish youths are wanted as guides by the tourism industry in Spain, Greece and Cyprus.
Spanish seek Icelandic jobs every day
Every day someone from Spain applies for a job in Iceland. Some Spanish travel there and go from workplace to workplace looking for jobs. Meanwhile, Portuguese who worked in Iceland before the financial crisis are getting back in touch with old employers to apply for work.
Pan-European protests as EU introduces new working hours for pilots
When SAS employees were forced to agree to a 47.5 hour week they came closer to the general rule within the EU. Now further EU adjustments await. Brussels is preparing new rules on flight working hours and member states will not be allowed to adopt stricter rules. But according to pilot organisations and air safety authorities the proposals are a threat to air safety.
SAS agreement will lead to wage squeeze in other companies
Employers will be inspired by the SAS management to make savings on salaries, predicts labour market researcher Flemming Ibsen, who calls SAS’ ultimatum to trade unions “un-Nordic” and “incredibly brutal”.
The Finish Aviation Union grows while moving away from Finnair
Members of the Finnish Aviation Union have gone through turbulent changes in recent years. Companies have been sold or partly outsourced, some have gone bust and employees have struggled to keep up with all the trade union negotiations.
Finnish pilots spot three mistakes
Pilot fatigue has been one of this year’s big talking points. Not because of an increase in accidents, but in order to tighten rules on rest and flight periods. It has been a hot debate.
Competition from Norwegian changes the Nordic aviation market
Developments in the aviation industry have presented new challenges to politicians, employers and trade unions. Deregulation and increased competition makes it cheaper to fly, which means increased growth. But market conditions could end up being tougher than the partly state owned airlines can handle.
Print shrinks as advertising goes online
Newspapers are the fastest shrinking businesses in the USA according to a LinkedIn survey. The social network has looked at their members’ stated occupations. The number of journalists fell by 28.4 percent between 2007 and 2011. Europe and the Nordic countries are right behind this trend.
Denmark’s media storm
Experts and newspapers warn of the death of even more print media and a decline in the quality of news ahead of political negotiations on moving state media support from printed to digital media. The government calls it necessary change.
Jobs disappear before the ink is dry
Finnish journalists have faced major changes in recent years - many of them negative ones. Jobs are disappearing and media owners’ visions for the future are bleak.
Ole Jacob Sunde: the important thing is the media - not whether news is printed on paper
“The most important thing is to have good platforms and sources of information where you find important and relevant news and stories presented with integrity. Which medium is being used is less important in the long run. We should make use of technology,” says Ole Jacob Sunde, chairman both at Schibsted and the Tinius Trust.
Culture increasingly important for employment
Culture plays an increasingly important role in employment. Cultural and creative trades employ five million people in Europe and represent 3.3 percent of the total EU economy.
One in four Icelanders in creative jobs
The culture, entertainment and experience industry is increasingly important in Iceland. The country’s single most important cultural industry is music.
Culture helps handle the darker sides of working life
There are great hopes that creativity will give businesses the competitive edge, but amateurish attempts at introducing culture into working life do not help, say Finnish pioneers on culture in businesses.
Board game injects creativity into medical technicians
There is growing interest in the way industrial designers work, and design ideas are entering into more and more areas. The ability to create processes, focus on customers and to think outside the box fuels the interest among big and small companies.
Art is always ahead but lacks a centre
All architects who are drawing culture houses share a secret dream of creating a new Sydney Opera House, a landmark which can draw people from around the world. Renzo Piano is one of the few who have actually done it.
Can culture turn the downturn around?
The role culture plays in creating jobs has become even more important. Both within the EU and in the Nordic region there is talk of culture being a creative catalyst which can help create competitiveness and employment in the wider economy.
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