The aim of the project is to produce a report which will consist of three parts: one chapter looking back at the role of the common Nordic labour market agreement from 1954 for Nordic labour market integration, one chapter looking forward on the Nordic labour market integration and a final chapter containing an analysis and conclusions for a more integrated Nordic labour market.
In the first chapter the role of the agreement for the overall Nordic cooperation will be analysed, as well as its role for the Nordic countries’ international competitiveness. Data on migration and commuting between the Nordic countries over the period will be examined, including characteristics of the mobile labour force (e.g. gender, age, citizenship, education, profession, business sector). The effects of the pandemic to maintain the common labour market, as well as expected long-term effects on labour market mobility across the Nordic national borders will be explored.
The second chapter of the study will be more looking into future. We will start by giving an overview and status of supply and demand in the Nordic labour market. We will then explore in which sectors and regions we find the largest potentials for a more integrated Nordic labour market. The current lack of labour and skills mis-match that is found in many sectors and regions and whether a more integrated Nordic labour market can contribute to solving those problems will be explored.
The third and final part of the report will focus on how cornerstones of the common Nordic labour market can contribute to the fulfilment of the vision that the Nordic Region will be the world’s most sustainable and integrated region by 2030. This part will be developed in dialogue with stakeholders from the EK-A, employers’ organisations and trade unions (Council of Nordic Trade Unions), labour authorities and other labour market organisations, cross-border services and organisations as well as initiatives within the EU/EES to promote mobility, such as Eures network and the European Labour Authority (ELA). The final chapter will also include a discussion on the role of new technologies (e.g. automation, digitalisation), increased remote work and how the green transition influence cross-border labour market mobility and labour market integration in the Nordic region. In the project, quantitative and qualitative methods will be used, including statistical analysis, GIS, interviews and participant-based methods.
