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Jørgen Svalund

Research professor

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    Jørgen Svalund is a researcher at Fafo. He holds a PhD in sociology on mobility and labour market adjustments in the Nordic labour markets. Job security, job retention schemes, temporary employment, and labour market mobility have been central themes in his research.

    Currently, he is working on a project about digitalization and polarization for the Norwegian Research Council, and he is the project leader for a larger project funded by the Norwegian Research Council that examines how the pandemic affected the labour market, the institutions regulating it, and individuals' attitudes towards income security, job retention, and other aspects of labour market governance in Norway, Sweden, and Denmark.

    Svalund also has extensive experience in studying power and democracy in the workplace, as well as various aspects of health, environment, and safety in work life. Among others, he has conducted research on workplace violence and threats of violence over an extended period.

    Svalund has published a large number of reports, articles, and book chapters on various topics and has broad experience in collecting, using, and analysing both qualitative and quantitative data.

    Area of work

    Collective agreements | Workplace democracy | Wage formation | Atypical forms of employment | Green and digital transition | Inclusive working life

    Current projects

    Measures to Prevent Shortage of Skilled Labour: A Comparative Study
    Measures, mechanisms, and effects in selected countries
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    Quality Enhancement in the Follow-Up Service in Oslo
    In this project, we aim to gather knowledge about young people within the target group for the Follow-Up Service as well as several adjacent groups in Oslo municipality. The purpose of the project is to provide the municipality with a comprehensive and up-to-date knowledge base about who these young people are, what kinds of challenges and needs they have, and how the municipality can design services and measures to reduce the risk of long-term social exclusion.
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    Engaging workplaces: A social partners perspective on youth activation
    How can workplaces – encompassing employers, employees, and the organisational structures in which they are embedded – be reconfigured to facilitate the successful inclusion of vulnerable youth struggling to enter and retain a position in the labour market?
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    Nordic labour market models facing pandemic crisis
    The project study labour market consequences of the COVID 19 epidemic. What are the impact and adjustments made to the labour market, its institutions, the regulations and measures used?
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    The Impact of Digitalization on Work and Labour Markets in the Nordics and the U.S.

    In cooperation with the University of Gothenburg, Michigan State University, and MIT, we will examine ongoing restructuring processes related to digitalization of work in Norway, Sweden and the U.S, the effects on labour market institutions and vice versa.

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    Publications

    Fafo publications

    Scientific publications

    Other publications

    Research communication

    Fikk jobb på sjette forsøk: – Ikke gi opp

    Interviews | 23. March 2026

    Når det er farlig å gå på jobb

    Interviews | 10. March 2026

    Hva er feriepenger?

    TV radio podcast | 13. June 2025

    Midlertidige ansettelser – fordeler og ulemper

    Seminars and presentations | 6. March 2025

    Covid-19 pandemic in Scandinavia: a trigger for more comprehensive social protection for self-emplo…

    Seminars and presentations | 23. April 2024

    23. April 2024

    Mobbing, personalkonflikter og arbeidsmiljø

    Op-eds and commentaries | 26. January 2016

    Events

    News on Fafo.no

    Completed projects

    Follow-up survey on sexual harassment in the cultural sector
    Fafo will conduct a follow-up survey on sexual harassment in the cultural sector. The survey is based on a similar study conducted in 2018.
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    Experiences with different kindergarten models
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    Evaluation of experiments with increased basic staffing in kindergartens in Oslo
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    Payment of holiday pay

    Through this assignment, the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs wishes to investigate how well secured employees' holiday pay is if the companies the individual is employed in are in an uncertain financial situation.

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    National management education for directors and management of kindergartens
    Formålet med prosjektet er å få mer kunnskap om styrerutdanningen for barnehageledere og i hvilken grad den bidrar til utvikling og endring av ledelsesespraksis i tråd med formålet med studiet. Ønsket er å mer kunnskap om hvordan lederutdanningen setter avtrykk i praksis.
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    WCB and CVP as welfare arrangements for youth outside work and education
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    The basic agreement in the state sector - modus operandi

    The basic agreement i state sector - the basic agreement provides the rules and regulations on social dialogue in state enterprises. The project aim to evaluate the modus operandi of the agreement.

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    Employees participation at NTNU
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    Measures for permanent employment - summary and review of research
    The project consists of a summary and review of research from Europa and Canada, where we study public measures improving the long-term connection to the labor market for immigrants.
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    Impact of the de-bureaucratization and streamlining reform (ABE reform)

    How is the de-bureaucratization and streamlining reform (ABE reform) implemented in state agencies and how does it affect daily work?

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    Compliance to regulations on temporary employment and labour hire

    The last couple of years have seen increasing attention to a variety of challenges and issues pertaining to temporary employment and labour hire.

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    Organising trade union member benefits
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    #metoo 2018, survey regarding sexual harassment
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    Postgraduate education in kindergartens - participant survey
    The project will investigate how kindergarten directors and kindergarten teachers who have participated in further education in 2018 and 2019 assess the content and organization of the education, learning outcomes and changes in their own practice. In addition, the project will look at how the nursery owner has arranged for participation.
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    Increased employment of young people with disabilities
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    The Federation of Norwegian Professional Associations, membership potential
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    Temporary lay-off schemes in other countries than Norway. An overview
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    Seniors and the working life
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    Kartlegging av måloppnåelse for delmål 2 i IA-avtalen
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    Tidsbruk i barnehager
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    Temporary employment

    The aim of this comparative project is to study how temporary employment influences people’s employment careers and their chances of achieving a permanent establishment in the labour market.

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    Fakta om folk flest - normalen i norsk arbeidsliv
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    Inkludering av mennesker med nedsatt funksjonsevne
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    Rekruttering av langtidsutdannede til LO
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    Varigheten av ufrivillig deltid
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    Topplederlønn - lederlønnsbarometer
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