Nordic inter-governmental co-operation on employment issues, the labour market, working conditions and labour law is headed up by the labour and employment ministers, who make up the MR-A.

MR-A concentrates on promoting Nordic synergies in the following key areas:

• stimulating the supply of labour and reducing structural unemployment
• minimising exclusion from the labour market and promoting lifelong learning
• promoting health and welfare at work to improve productivity
• protecting the Nordic labour-market model and the Nordic labour market's ability to adapt to new circumstances

MR-A also focuses on analysing the consequences of globalisation for the labour market of the future, training manpower with the qualifications needed for the labour market of the future, and making sure, by means of an active labour-market policy, that supply matches demand on the Nordic labour market.

Forums for co-operation

MR-A meets once a year to discuss the main topical challenges and promote Nordic input into the labour market sector in areas where joint action and policy supplements national input.

The Nordic Committee of Senior Officials for Labour (EK-A) consists of civil servants from the ministries of labour and employment in the Nordic countries and the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Åland and meets twice a year. It takes care of the practical work and preparations for meetings of the Council of Ministers.

EK-A has set up three committees to cover work in its sector: the Labour Market Committee, the Working Conditions Committee and the Labour Law Committee.

These committees have their own secretaries and meet twice a year to follow up on decisions taken by EK-A, supply input into EK-A, allocate project funding, discuss particular themes, etc.

The Department of Education, Research and Labour (UFA) based at the Nordic Council of Ministers' Secretariat in Copenhagen is responsible for the co-ordination of co-operation on labour and employment.

For example, it prepares the questions to be discussed by the MR-A and EK-A, and makes sure that decisions made in these forums are implemented.

Nordic institutions

The MR-A funds one institution:

Nordic Institute for Advanced Training in Occupational Health (NIVA).

NIVA plans and runs courses, seminars, etc. of a high international standard on subjects relevant to working conditions.

Objectives and visions

The overall objective of co-operation on labour and employment is to help build a sustainable basis for an efficient labour market in a competitive Nordic Region.

This is reflected in the Programme for the Nordic Council of Ministers' co-operation in labour and employment 2009-2012

Priorities

The main focus in the period 2009-2012 will be on addressing the challenges facing Nordic co-operation as a consequence of globalisation, demographic trends and climate change.

One of the main priorities for Nordic co-operation on employment and the labour market is to stimulate the supply of labour and reduce structural unemployment. The purpose is to make sure that manpower is available to the Nordic labour markets and include groups currently only on the periphery of the job market.

The main priority for co-operation on working conditions is to promote health and welfare at work as a means of increasing productivity. This helps the ongoing development of the Nordic Region as an attractive labour market capable of improving opportunities to include people currently excluded from or on the periphery of the world of work and attracting manpower from abroad.

One of the main priorities for co-operation on employment law is to consider the conditions, challenges and adjustments etc. faced by the Nordic working model in an increasingly globalised economy. The aim is to continue to improve the balance between flexibility and protection for wage-earners, as well as to promote gender equality and combat discrimination on the labour market. This will enhance the Nordic labour market's ability to adapt to new circumstances.

One area of cross-sector priorities will be to continue to promote freedom of movement in the Nordic labour market with regard to promoting geographic mobility, the power of attraction and capacity for change further in the Nordic labour market. Co-operation with the Adjacent Areas is another inter-sectoral priority.