‘The informalisation of the labour market affects workers, companies and, by extension, society as a whole,’ says Maja Lundqvist, analyst at the Swedish Secretariat for Gender Research at the University 91̽.
Informalisation tends to have a significant impact on low-skilled and low-paid sectors where many migrants work. Not least, this means that many people live in serious economic vulnerability and are often completely excluded from welfare and other social security systems.
‘Informalisation can be understood as a process whereby previously formalised and regulated aspects of working life are deregulated, partly as a result of new economic trends and political orientations. It is not just a question of a clear division between formal and informal work; we also find that the formal labour market can have elements of informalisation,’ says Maja Lundqvist.
The vulnerable living conditions that follow from the informalisation of the labour market are a challenge for the Nordic welfare model – and for the Nordic self-image, which is characterised by notions of welfare, equality, security and a balance between work and leisure.
Mapping research and knowledge in the Nordic region
In order to contribute to the state of knowledge, the secretariat will, over the next few years, build up cooperation with researchers, survey Nordic research and policy, and produce analyses and a knowledge overview.
'As an organisation, we operate at the intersection of research and policy and have expertise in both gender equality and working life in the Nordic region. Our contribution is to provide a feminist interpretation of the research field and offer new, power-critical perspectives in this area,” says Maja Lundqvist.
The Informalisation of the Labour Market project is being conducted within the area of activity A Fair and Just Working Life, which together with A Free Knowledge Society and An Equal Nordic Region constitutes the three areas of activity in the Swedish Secretariat for Gender Research at the University 91̽.
