Presentation

Who are WRI?  A state-owned social science institute performing multidisciplinary, action-oriented research.  Established in 1964  40 researchers Mainly social scientists, but also graduates in engineering, law and other disciplines  Organized in two main research groups: Organizational Development and Innovation Diversity, Inclusion and Organization  Examples on ongoing research topics: Restructuring and innovation Diversity challenges for an inclusive work life Organization of public welfare and labour market services Return to work and disability management Workplace based learning and organizational learning . Caen, November 23-24, Steinar Widding

Norwegian context  4,7 mill. inhabitants - labour force: 2,4 mill. Unempoloyment rate: 3,2 %  Solid economy, high educational level  Ageing population  Among the highest disability pension rates within OECD area Appr. 25 % of population under age 67 outside the workforce due to illness or disability Caen, November 23-24, Steinar Widding

Economic indicators  GDP 2007 (EU27 = 100) ○ Norway: 184 ○ UK: 118 ○ France: 111 (Source: Eurostat)  Economic contribution to GDP: Tertiary (service) industries: 56 % Secondary ind (incl petrol):43 % Primary ind: 1 %  Employment Tertiary (service) industries: 76 % Secondary ind (incl petrol):21 % Primary ind: 3 % Caen, November 23-24, Steinar Widding

Impact of crisis  Norwegian economy strongly affected through both foreign trade and international capital markets.  Main sectors influenced by crisis Construction, manufacturing/export industries, ICT, engineering, consultancy and property broking  Increase in public sector employment has curbed the fall in employment as a whole. Caen, November 23-24, Steinar Widding

Impact of crisis – cont.  Decline in activity in Norway is substantially lower than in majority of OECD countries  Growth is expected to gradually recover in the next few years.  The activity in 2011 is expected to recover to such a degree that it can be characterised as an upswing in the economy Caen, November 23-24, Steinar Widding

Training issues  The right to free education for adults up to and including upper secondary is guaranteed by law.  Although Norway had a high educational level, there are still a large number of adults whose basic skills need to be addressed. Depending on how the statistics are interpreted, at least are at risk. Some facts about the scores: In general, the number of people with low basic skills increases with age Every fifth person between 16 and 20 is at risk Immigrants, especially from non-western countries, have a low score Among people with low scores, these factors occur more frequently: low levels of education, unemployment, social benefits as main income Caen, November 23-24, Steinar Widding

Training policies  Basic Competence in Working Life (VOX)  Labour and Welfare Administration Several training measures for job-seekers, people in need of rehabilitation, etc. In principle accessible for all.  Inclusive workplaces Enterprises participating in theTripartite Agreement on More Inclusive Workplaces ○ Acess to certain measures Caen, November 23-24, Steinar Widding