Portrait
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Finland’s Anni Sinnemäki: passionate about an individually tailored welfare system
Finland’s Minister of Labour wants to make individuals visible. Young people should not be seen as a uniform group but as separate people with different needs. In Finland a lot of time has been spent analysing each person’s situation, and as a result, she says, the state can offer more rational measures tailored to the…
8 minutes
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Red cabinet member – impatient in the long run
Audun Lysbakken swears that it is he – and not the media – who will set the agenda for his ministry’s work. That means working on long-term, preventative measures to avoid people becoming social outsiders – results of which will not show up on statistics for another 10 to 15 years.
8 minutes
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Hanne Bjurstrøm: Norway’s new Minister of Labour with a vision
Norway’s new Minister of Labour, Hanne Bjurstrøm, wants to sort out the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration, find efficient systems to deal with social dumping and help more people with reduced work capacity. Her vision: to help anyone who is able to do some work get out of being passive recipients of state support. To…
8 minutes
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Inger Støjberg – fighting unemployment with cross-party cooperation
Just as the economic crisis hit Denmark in April 2009, Inger Støjberg took up her position as Minister of Employment and Gender Equality. She was already known as a vocal spokeswoman for the Danish Liberal Party. Now she is the promoter of broad agreements with the opposition.
10 minutes
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Árni Páll Árnason: “a working life for all”
What kind of labour market do we want? What do we expect from companies? What are our expectations for the work place? Árni Páll Árnason feels these are all questions that deserve deep probing. His quest is to put an end to people being pushed out of working life at society’s cost.
9 minutes
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Wanja Lundby-Wedin – favours security in change
She is the president of LO – Sweden, the Council of Nordic Trade Unions and of the European Trade Union Confederation. Wanja Lundby-Wedin represents the employees of all of Europe. “As their representative of course I have power. That is just how it should be”, she says.
7 minutes
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The Nordic women – leaders in gender equality
The Nordic countries are leaders when it comes to equality between men and women. Nowhere else do women have such good opportunities to participate in working life and build careers. Finland recently set a new world record in the number of women in government, with 12 women cabinet members.
10 minutes
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Finland’s Tuula Haatainen sees positive gender signals in EU
The European Union is seriously looking at the challenges of gender equality, while many member states have no option but to address the problem of how work and family life can be combined.
4 minutes
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Norway’s new Super Minister: Bjarne Håkon Hanssen
Work for all is one of the main aims of Norway’s new left-of-centre government. “Super Minister” Bjarne Håkon Hanssen carries a great responsibility. He controls one in three of every krone in the budget. He has to make sure the government reaches its goal of a more inclusive working life. The hidden unemployment must be…
6 minutes
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Nordic Council of Ministers: Neighbours catching the same wind
Because they are so similar, the Nordic countries can enjoy the advantage of exchanging experiences. The Nordic co-operation is being developed in areas where one can enjoy a synergy effect. When the Nordic Council of Ministers of Employment meet, one question on the table is this: Can the Nordic model, which has been so successful…
6 minutes