Work And Wellbeing In The Nordic Countries

The Nordic countries have the world's best working life. Unlike in many other countries, global competition has not created inequality, uncertainty, long working hours, standardization and restrictive managerial control. The main reason for this lies in the way interests are expressed and conflicts are resolved. Both employees and employers are well organized and both recognize the interests of the other. Working life develops in a constant interaction between conflict and compromise. This book examines working conditions in Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Finland. It explores how these good working conditions are created and maintained. The chapters explain: How work organization is formed How education, training and work place learning give access to the labour market How work is managed in the public sector How precarious work unfolds in the Nordic countries. Work and Wellbeing in the Nordic Countries is addressed to all those who have interest in the quality of working life. It will be of particular use to all students, academics and policy makers working in the fields of social policy, wellbeing, management studies, employment relations, work sociology and work psychology.

Globalisation and demographic trends underline the twin challenge of the Nordics with productivity stagnation and a decreasing work force. Increasing productivity and the work force will be an answer to both. A good work environment can do both: If less people have to take sick leave as result of bad work environments, this will contribute to increasing the work force. Also, for some time, a relationship between work environment and productivity has been hypothesised. Happy, healthy workers, in short, are more productive than not-so-happy and not-so-healthy workers are. This report is based on the most comprehensive empirical study of the cohension between working envi-ronment and productivity. It confirms the hope of many, i.e. that improvements in working environment and improved productivity are highly correlated. The results are robust across time and the investigated countries.

This Special Edition aims to complement State of the Nordic Region 2020 by taking an in-depth look at some of the factors that contribute to wellbeing and health in the Nordic Region, and exploring how digitalisation in health care and social care can contribute to wellbeing. The report illustrates the central role of demography, whereby the composition and the spatial patterns of the population together with socio-economic factors contribute to shaping the living conditions and wellbeing in different parts of the Nordic Region. Despite a general pattern of urban regions being richer, more well educated and living longer, we also find many thriving rural areas attracting new young residents. Digital infrastructure plays a crucial role for the development of those rural areas.

The 2014 workshop on "Co-ordination of research on working hours and health in the Nordic countries" was held at the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health on the 23rd-24th October 2014. The overall purpose of the workshop was to provide a platform for cooperation and development of high-quality research projects on working hours and health in the Nordic countries. The project is supported by the Nordic Council of Ministers. The present report summarizes the presentations and discussions at the workshop with main focus on opportunities for future collaborations.

A sustainable working life that prevents work-related health problems and facilitate inclusion of young workers is vital to ensure the health, safety and work participation among young workers in the Nordic countries. This report provides Nordic statistics, scientific knowledge and discussions on how to achieve a sustainable work life for young workers in the Nordic countries. Under the Swedish presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers in 2013, the focus was on youth and young workers' working conditions. As part of this focus, the Nordic Council of Ministers commissioned this report. The report shows that an inter-disciplinary and comprehensive approach is essential to ensure a sustainable work life among young workers. Six characteristics are emphasized as important: the characteristics of the worker, the workplace, the work task, the employment, the education and the youth.

Gender equality in the labour market is a key topic in the Nordic cooperation on gender equality. The Nordic Council of Ministers has asked NIKK, Nordic Information on Gender, to coordinate the project Part-Time Work in the Nordic Region. The aim of the project is to shed light on and analyse part-time work in the Nordic region, develop reports and arrange conferences. During the Icelandic presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers in 2014, the project followed up the earlier study. This second report is a research overview on the arguments used to explain part-time work and gender in the Nordic countries. Further, the report describe relevant measures taken by different actors in the labour market and the political sphere in order to reduce foremost women's part-time work. The researchers Ida Drange and Cathrine Egeland wrote the report on a request by NIKK.