The Future Of Nordic Labour Law

Available online: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:norden:org:diva-6158 Is labour law in the Nordic countries prepared to meet future challenges, or is there a need for adjustments and renewal? These questions form the backdrop for the analysis in this report. The Nordic systems of labour law are built on a binary divide between employees and the self-employed. As a main rule, employees are protected by labour law, while self-employed are not, and the employer is responsible for complying with the legal framework. If future labour relations make it harder to assess whether a worker is an employee or self-employed, and to decide who is the employer, this might undermine the efficiency of labour law regulations. The report analyzes the adaptability of the legal framework, and points at strengths and weaknesses. Furthermore, the study discusses how the identified challenges can be addressed, by suggesting avenues for legal development and reform. The report is the concluding analysis of Pillar VI in the project Future of Work: Opportunities and Challenges for the Nordic Models (NFoW), funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers.

Available online: https://pub.norden.org/temanord2021-520/ Major changes in technology, economic contexts, workforces and the institutions of work have ebbed and flowed since well before the first industrial revolution in the 18th century. However, many argue that the changes we are currently facing are different, and that the rise of digitalized production will entirely transform our ways and views of working. In this collaborative project, funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers, researchers from the five Nordic countries have studied how the ongoing transformations of production and labour markets associated with digitalization, demographic change and new forms of employment will influence the future of work in the Nordic countries.

In the runup to the ILO's 100th anniversary in 2019, the ILO asked the Nordic countries to contribute to the debate about how the future of work can be shaped. the Stockholm conference gathered more than 120 participants, and was number three out of four annual Nordic conferences. The debate was divided into four main themes: 1) How will the technological developments affect the Labour market? 2) How are the Nordic countries preparing for a more digitised and automated labour market? 3) How are companies and industries affected by the technological development? 4) How to deal with the need for skills? The programme included perspectives from all of the Nordic countries, from multinational organisations such as the OECD and the ILO, international companies such as McKinsey and Google, Nordic labour market authorities, social partners and companies undergoing changes.

The Nordic future of workHow will work and working life in the Nordic countries change in the future? This is the question to be addressed in the project The Future of Work: Opportunities and Challenges for the Nordic Models. This initial report describes the main drivers and trends expected to shape the future of work. It also reviews the main distinctions of the Nordic model and recent developments in Nordic working lives, pointing towards the kind of challenges the future of work may pose to the Nordic models. Too often, debates about the future narrowly focus on changes in technology. This report draws attention to the broader drivers and political-institutional frameworks influencing working life developments, aiming to spur debate about how the interaction of changes in demography, climate, globalization and digital technologies may influence Nordic working lives in the coming decades.

Available online: https://pub.norden.org/politiknord2022-709/ The co-operation programme fleshes out the Nordic Council of Ministers’ action plan for Vision 2030 and its 12 goals and describes what Nordic co-operation on working life will seek to achieve by 2024. The Nordic Council of Ministers is committed to labour markets that match the requirements of the green transition and progress toward digitalisation and that support freedom of movement in the Nordic Region. The Nordic models for working life are based to a large extent on gender equality, social security and dialogue between the social partners. However, the Nordic labour markets also face significant changes as a result of, for example, new technology and the digitalisation of workplaces, demographic trends and new forms of employment. The co-operation programme identifies the challenges faced and looks at how best Nordic co-operation can help address them.

In connection to the 100th anniversary of the ILO in 2019, the Nordic Council of Ministers arranged a conference to debate the future of work in the Nordics. The event was held on the 4th-5th of April in Reykjavik and was the last in a series of four annual conferences. The debates centered on the changing labour market and whether the Nordic model will be able to adapt to this. The conference lasted two days, each with a particular theme: 1) Future of Work – where the future of the Nordic model was discussed 2) Gender Equality – where the debate revolved around the challenges and solutions regarding the inequalities between men and women on the labour market. The programme included perspectives from all the Nordic countries, as well as from international organisations such as the ILO and the OECD, international companies, Nordic labour market authorities, social partners and companies.