News
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Threats and Possibilities facing Nordic Working Life
Guy Standing has analysed the devastating effects for the labour market of deregulation and un-limited competition and found a new social class emerging from the shattered well fare society – the precariat – “The Dangerous Class”.
3 minutes -
Social Europe under pressure
There’s a conflict between the EU’s social ambitions and national autonomy, not least when it comes to the labour market, Sweden’s newly elected Minister for Employment Ylva Johansson told a seminar in Stockholm on 22 October.
4 minutes -
Social scientists must guide us out of the crisis
“There is a fire of resentment burning across Europe, and there’s an urgent need to calm tensions. Social scientists need to get involved. Dogmatic economists have been allowed to dominate the debate for too long,” says Maurizio Ferrera, Professor at the University of Milan.
9 minutes -
Finnish cases in EU Court of Justice could have Nordic consequences
Is the Finnish system of universally applicable collective agreements incompatible with the free movement of services? That is what an advocate-general at the Court of Justice of the European Union suggests in a fresh opinion. The case is only one out of three current ones which could have a major impact on the Nordic countries’…
6 minutes -
Stefan Löfven (S): Sweden will be a global role model
Prime Minister Löfven called his new government feminist as he presented it in parliament on Friday. It has 23 government ministers — 12 women and 11 men plus the Prime Minister — and is a coalition comprising the Social Democrats and the Green Party. Work was top of Löfven’s speech.
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Feminists, but also masculinists
The Nordic region has cooperated on gender equality for 40 years. It has been of great importance for equality’s progress and has improved the lives of Nordic citizens, said Eygló Harðardóttir, Iceland’s Minister of Equality during the anniversary celebrations in Iceland on 26 August. Where is the debate today? Is there a need for a…
10 minutes -
The Faroe Islands’ future must be more than fish
What will the Faroese live off when there is no more fish? Is the answer oil or tourism? The important thing is to create jobs for women in the archipelago which is more patriarchal than other parts of the Nordic region.
9 minutes -
Researchers: Employment has become more important than job content
Working life has been on the agenda during the Swedish general election campaign, and especially unemployment. More jobs are needed. Yet visions for the content of those jobs have not figured politically — an inconsistency highlighted by a group of researchers at a recent meeting in Stockholm.
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OECD: Wage cuts will not create jobs
Industrialised countries have reached the limit for how much wages can be cut. Since the start of the economic crisis, wages have fallen in real terms for half of all employees in OECD countries. Further cuts could be counter-productive and damage growth.
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The Nordic model: From Reykjavik to Paris
“The Nordic countries need to stay on course. They will be an example to other countries, a reference point, particularly when it comes to the harmony between growth and really good social standards,” says Christian Kastrop, newly appointed Director for the Policy Studies Branch at the OECD’s economy department.
9 minutes






