News — Nordic Labour Journal

Letter to the EU exposes cracks within European Trade Union Confederation

(Apr 15, 2020) It is with regret that we need to inform the Commission that the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) reply regarding the consultation on European minimum wages is not representative for us. That is what ten trade union confederations from Denmark, Iceland, Norway and Sweden write in a letter which highlights a historic crack in ETUC.

Norwegian pilot project: get work-ready in the workplace

(Mar 04, 2020) Nordic employment authorities usually use one of two approaches when trying to help people far removed from the labour market. The traditional one is to make the job seeker “job ready” before starting work. The other is to train people for the labour market in an actual workplace.

Record low unemployment in the Faroe Islands – just 296 people

(Feb 27, 2020) Nowhere in the Nordics will you find a higher employment rate than in the Faroe Islands right now. It stands at 90%, and unemployment is only 0.9%. What is it like in a society where nearly everyone has a job, and where being unemployed is correspondingly difficult?

Labour Ministers invite Nicolas Schmit to meeting

(Feb 16, 2020) Nordic governments are joining forces to explain the Nordic labour market model to EU lawmakers. The Labour Ministers have sent a letter to the new Commissioner Nicolas Schmit, inviting him to a meeting in Copenhagen in early April to discuss the Nordic countries’ chosen priorities.

The Nordics lack children – only Greenland stands out

(Feb 15, 2020) The Nordic countries often top global rankings for happiness and gender equality. But who will benefit from this in the future, when fertility rates are falling and populations are ageing? According to the State of the Nordic Region 2020 report, only in Greenland are there far more children than old people.

Varða – Iceland's new labour market research institute

(Feb 05, 2020) The Icelandic Confederation of Labour ASÍ and the Federation of State and Municipal Employees BSRB have agreed to set up a new institute for labour market research in the country.

Rail suicides: a joint Nordic approach to reduce numbers

(Jan 28, 2020) Every year, 3,500 people in the Nordic region take their own lives. The Nordic Council Welfare Committee wants to stop this happening and has presented a vision to prevent all suicide. One of the group’s proposals is a vision zero for rail suicides by 2025.

"We must protect our police force"

(Dec 16, 2019) There is a parliamentary majority in Sweden for recruiting more police officers. There has been a tripling of police training places in recent years. 546 new police officers recently graduated.

Tuula Haatainen new Finnish Minister of Employment

(Dec 16, 2019) Experienced Haatainen (59) joins a government which features numerous young female minister. So what experience do Finnish politicians have from real working life? The question arose with Finland’s sudden change of government in mid-December.

How Norway got EU benefit regulations wrong for seven years

(Dec 16, 2019) What lies behind Norway’s scandalous miscarriage of justice that led to 2,400 people being branded benefit cheats because the state misinterpreted the EEA agreement? And how could this have gone on for seven years?

Faroe Islands: big economic growth yet increasing poverty

(Dec 16, 2019) The Faroe Islands are doing very well. But things are also going very badly. One survey shows the Faroes had the greatest economic growth in Europe last year. At the same time, the number of Faroese at risk of poverty rose from 9 to 10.7 %. “A worrying trend,” says trade union coordinator Sonja Jógvansdóttir.

EU agreement on mobility package

(Dec 13, 2019) After years of inquiries and difficult negotiations, EU countries have agreed on new rules for the road haulage sector. The new rules will be introduced in 2021 and will also cover Norway and Iceland.

Maria Mindhammar takes helm at Sweden's battered PES

(Dec 12, 2019) On 5 December Maria Mindhammar was appointed the new Director-General of the Swedish Public Employment Service. It is a job she gladly goes to, while also calling the situation at the Public Employment Service “exceptionally challenging”.

A gender change in the cleaning profession

(Nov 27, 2019) Cleaning is about to become a male-dominated occupation. It used to be nearly exclusively women who worked the mop. Now men, especially those with an immigrant background, are taking over according to a report from the Oslo Institute for Social Research.

New agreement for education on the Cap of the North

(Nov 27, 2019) The Arctic Vocational Foundation has secured funding from Sweden, Finland and Norway for a further four years of vocational training for youths. A total of 285 youths will be trained every year.