In Focus
Integrity - a new term in Norwegian labour law
The Nordic countries set up labour inspection authorities to protect workers against accidents, dangerous chemicals and excessive spells of work. But how do labour inspection work when the work place is in transformation? During times of change so many things happen simultaneously that the employees’ integrity is threatened.
Making production sustainable: The Danish experience
When Danes talked about 'sustainable' production in the past, they were most likely thinking of organic farming products. During the 1980s and l990s the expression was given a wider meaning. Today it is associated with production, economy and working life.
Sustainability - a strategy for the future
Can society be sustainable if working life isn't? By valuing working life in terms of sustainability, we add a new perspective of forward thinking and inclusiveness which concerns people. Sustainability puts work in a context which challenges traditional solutions and players, and it mobilises fresh thinking. This is one conclusion from a report written by professor Bjørg Aase Sørensen and Christin Thea Wathne at the Norwegian Work Research Institute.
Older workers: A mental change for Finland
The number of employed people over 55 years of age has increased more in Finland than in most other European countries in recent years. A full three quarters of the 300.000 jobs created between 1999 and 2001 were taken by older men and women.
Chaos within safe borders
You feel it as soon as you step inside Norwegian Snøhetta’s offices; something exciting is happening here. In what used to be a big harbour authority storage hall, overlooking the ravishing Oslo fjord through a huge glass window, 50 people are sat drawing the future.
Youths falling at the hurdles of working life
There’s increased division in the labour market, and young people are the ones who are loosing out. Earlier there were alternatives for those who didn’t succeed in school or took a greater interest in practical work. Today those youths risk being left behind. There has been a change in the structures of the labour market, but many young people blame themselves.
Finnish fast track through the employment office
During the 90s, Finland succeeded in rapidly reducing unemployment among young people. Now new tools are needed to move on. A system of fast-tracking them through the employment office has proved successful. The method is called society guarantee. The aim is for all unemployed between 17 and 25 to either get a place of study, start work training or to get a taste of working life in workshops.
Sustainable work for a sustainable development
The Nordic countries don’t particularly stand out when you focus on what factors create a sustainable work place. It’s all about being seen and being heard. It’s about working at a speed you can live with, and with resources and tools good enough for the task at hand. And not least – the work must be meaningful. But in a time of perpetual change, is it really possible to create sustainable work places?
Order at work is the order of the day
That’s what Eva Natka, 28, values most in her work in Estonia. ”I’ve always got a big pile of papers on my desk. When it shrinks, I’m happy.”
Norwegians hard to convince they need to work after 62
To avoid a future total collapse in the Norwegian retirement system, more people have to work for longer. That is the main message from the Norwegian Pension Commission. But how realistic is it to expect those between 62 and 66 to continue working? And do employers really want them?
Scania: A health conscious company
"People who feel well are more creative and do a better job. The result is a win-win situation," says Gunnar Hedlund, head of the health and work environment unit at the Scania buss and truck- factory in Södertälje in Sweden.
The best mix: old and young together
“We should look after our senior staff, but it is not our intention to turn Linjegods into a workplace exclusively for older workers. We must also attract the young, so that we get what we call a success mix of age groups, says Asbjørn Aanesen, who is organisational director at Linjegods.
Annette changes tack
Annette Pedersen decided she wanted to become an electrician. She simply changed tack to get out of unemployment.
Finland's special commitment to disadvantaged jobseekers
A Finnish pilot project providing special services for the long-term unemployed becomes permanent. An ambitious programme will establish 25 so-called employment service centres across the country. It is part of the government's ambition to create 100.000 new jobs during this parliamentary term.
Between East and West
“Talking about a northern dimension, it is quite easy to disregard the northernmost parts of the North, and the cooperation carried on between these parts of the countries of the so-called “North Calotte” and Russia,” Governor Eino Siuruainen of the Finnish province Oulu claims.
The Mental Bridge
Education and research in the Øresund region has created strong connections between Denmark and Sweden – but there’s a small difference.
A story of cooperation across the borders
Knowledge about the labour market and personal relations is essential whenever employment services are called for. This is even more essential when you are charged with the provision of employment in another country. The following are some of the conclusions drawn by Oili Nätynki, based on many years of experience as an employment intermediary in the Nordic countries and as a Eures consultant.
The Nordic labour market in an extended Europe
Ever since the early Nineties there has been a close cooperation between the Nordic and the Baltic countries. As the Baltic countries and Poland become members of the EU, the professed openness acclaimed by the Nordic countries through fifty years of cooperation is being put to the test.
Senior citizens must rely mainly on their own efforts
The efforts made to find employment for older people in Denmark are based on local networks run by the unemployed themselves, since they are the ones who need to achieve results. In addition, efforts are made to keep older workers employed.
Preparation for a long working life should start early
Preparation for a long working life should start early. Finnish authorities, trade unions and employers’ organizations are trying to bring about a change in attitudes that will once again make older people feel welcome in the workplace.
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