What are the risks and rewards of remote work? Why are we having fewer kids in the Nordics? Join us in Visby, Gotland, on 25 June as we host two panel discussions during Almedalsveckan 2024.
09.00-09.45:
Why are we having less children and what should we do about it?
Fewer and fewer children are being born in Sweden and the Nordic Region. Birth rates have now reached a new historically low level. What are the causes behind this? How worried should we be and what measures should be taken?
Nordregio’s report State of the Nordic Region 2024, launching just before Almedalen, shows that birth rates and fertility are declining in Sweden and all other Nordic countries. Many people are choosing to have their first child later and childlessness is on the rise. The decline has been rapid, especially when comparing the Nordic countries with the rest of Europe.
Why are women and men choosing to forgo parenthood? The causes and underlying factors are complex and nuanced. Socioeconomic factors and social and family policy measures may be part of the picture, but also issues such as economic insecurity. Concerns about an uncertain future or climate change may play a role. This development will have far-reaching consequences if it continues. It is time to find solutions if we want to reverse the trend and dare to ask the question: should this only be seen as a problem?
Participants:
- Caroline Uggla, Docent in demography, Stockholm University
- Axel Gruvaeus, Senior Analyst, Kairos Future
- Karin Sundin, Swedish Member of Parliament (The Social Democrats)
- Nora Sanchez Gássen, Senior Research Fellow, Nordregio
- Signe Krantz, Project manager, LSU (The National Council of Swedish Children and Youth Organisations)
- Clara Berglund, General Secretary, Sveriges Kvinnoorganisationer (The Swedish Women’s Lobby)
- Sharon Jåma, Moderator and journalist
This panel discussion will be in Swedish (Swedish description in the official Almedalen programme). Breakfast will be served in connection with the event.
11.00-11.45:
Remote work is here to stay – how should we view it?
Remote working has increased dramatically during the pandemic and it looks like it is here to stay. But is this a good development for employees and companies? What are the benefits of working from home and what are the more challenging impacts?
During the seminar, Adam Gill from Uppsala University will present a new study on the development and consequences of remote working in the Nordic Region. We will discuss if we should wholeheartedly embrace the trend to work more from home or if there are reasons to be cautious. What are the impacts of remote work on productivity, wages and worktime? How does it affect employees’ mental health and job satisfaction? Are there any effects on housing prices and transport use? Is there a gap between employers’ and employees’ preferences on how remote and onsite work should be balanced post-pandemic?
The study is part of a new report about Nordic economic challenges and opportunities beyond the pandemic that Nordregio has published together with Professor Emeritus Lars Calmfors.
Participants:
- Adam Gill, PhD student at Department of Economics, Uppsala University
- Lars Calmfors, Professor Emeritus of International Economics, Stockholm University, and Research Fellow, Research Institute of Industrial Economics
- Peter Hellberg, President at Unionen
- Sophie Thörne, Senior Legal Adviser at Almega
- Pernilla Ström, Moderator and journalist
This panel discussion will be in English.
Almedalen Week is a Swedish democratic meeting place for dialogue, exchange and spontaneous meetings that help to develop our society. Nordregio is an international research institute operating between policy and research for a competative, integrated and sustainable Nordic Region.
