In Focus
Denmark’s rapidly growing youth unemployment must come down
Unemployment among young Danes has trebled in four years, and the government promises action despite an initial breakdown in negotiations between the social partners on a youth initiative.
Life after Nokia also means new opportunities
Thousands of Nokia’s former employees have been forced to rethink their futures as the company sheds jobs. In Finland many of them hope to start their own business.
Everybody wants and app - but what for?
“Mobile telephone apps mean new ways of working as we’ll be able to access systems from anywhere and companies will start using mobiles more and more as a tool,” says Elin Lundström, managing director at app developer and IT company Decuria in Stockholm.
The IT revolution’s third wave
The development of smartphones is changing many people’s lives. Yet universal online access is only one part of the new IT revolution which will also have a big impact on working life. Smartphones and tablets became really powerful tools when Apple allowed anyone to develop the apps these devices run.
Home address stops Valgerður’s maternity pay
An Icelandic woman who lives in Iceland but works for an Oslo-based business experienced the cross border commuter’s nightmare. Despite contributing to Norway’s national insurance fund since 2003, she receives no maternity pay. She doesn’t even know who will pay the hospital bill for when she gave birth to her son. Neither Norway nor Iceland wants to pay.
All problems are solvable - but new obstacles often emerge faster than old ones are removed
Border obstacles are words which don’t really do the issue justice. Getting across borders is the least of Nordic citizens‘ problems - they’ve enjoyed a common labour market and passport-free travel since 1954.
The typical cross border commuter is Swedish
A new Statistics Sweden survey due to be published in May shows Nordic cross border commuting increased by 166 percent between 2001 and 2008. Swedes are most likely to work in neighbouring countries, and now 80 percent of Nordic citizens who commute to Denmark and Norway come from Sweden. Higher wages seem to be the biggest draw.
Commuters across Øresund: We feel both Danish and Swedish
Swedish Per Andreasson and his wife have spent the past five years commuting from their home in Sweden to jobs in Denmark. The couple feel they’re getting the best of both worlds.
Swedes cross-border commute to Denmark more than anyone
Thousands of people commute to Denmark from neighbouring countries to work - especially Swedes. But in times of crisis the number of cross-border commuters dwindles.
Commuting: Iceland's challenge and opportunity
Commuting is increasingly popular among Icelandic doctors, nurses and craftsmen. They are mainly commuting to Norway, but also to Sweden. Wage levels are important, but commuting from a small country like Iceland also means a chance to develop professionally.
Nordic women lose power despite Denmark’s new prime minister
The Nordic Labour Journal’s gender barometer shows equality between the sexes in top political and professional positions is falling in the Nordic region. Denmark gaining its first female prime minister with Helle Thorning-Schmidt does not make up for the fact that Finland has just got a male president and a male prime minister.
Danish gender equality shifting up a gear
Denmark’s new Minister for Gender Equality, Manu Sareen, promises to turbo charge gender equality. His main focus will to fight violence against women and a gender-divided labour market. He wants more women in top management and into board rooms.
More women rise to the top at Carlsberg
It’s looking bad for gender equality in Danish companies’ boardrooms and management. There is massive opposition to legally binding female quotas. Now one of Danish business’ old giants is taking voluntary action: from 2015 at least 40 percent of the elected members to the board of Carlsberg brewery will be women.
Women’s businesses mirror gender segregated labour market
There is strong political will in Sweden to strengthen women’s entrepreneurship. Between 2007 and 2014 the centre-right government spent a total of 800m SEK (€90m) on supporting, developing and highlighting women’s enterprise.
Effective sanctions make Norway’s quota law a success
The law on quotas is the most efficient measure to improve the boardroom gender balance. “But the law should be followed up by effective sanctions and state measures which help stimulate the action.” That is the advice from head of research Mari Teigen to other countries looking to legislate for quotas on company boards.
Demand for more female board members as EU’s patience runs out
EU Commissioner Viviane Reding’s patience has ran out. European companies have failed to improve board room gender equality to a satisfactory degree. The European parliament has already voted to introduce quotas to secure at least 30 percent women board members by 2015 and 40 percent by 2020.
Active old age and solidarity between generations
Never before has so many lived for so long and been so healthy into such old age. In a few years there will be far more centenarians and people who will live for 20 to 30 years past their retirement age. Is Europe ready?
Older people to be encouraged to work for longer
More people must be encouraged to work into older age and we should also be prepared to retrain or change professions or careers during our working lives. That was the message from Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt a few days before the ‘Northern Future Forum’ gathered nine European leaders in Stockholm.
Myths dominate attitudes to older people in the workplace
The notion that older people take jobs from the young simply isn’t true. Axel Börsch-Supan, a director at the German Max Planck Institute, debunks the myths surrounding older people in work.
Flexitime key to a longer working life
People are interested in working for longer as long as they are allowed to adapt their jobs to fit their abilities. A new survey shows flexible work solutions increases interest in working for longer. In Finland the research is supported by real life experience.
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