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Elin Svarstad

Researcher

    Education

    PhD in Economics, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)

    Master of Business Administration (MBA), Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences (HiOA)

    Bachelor's degree in Cultural and Social Sciences (majoring in Law), University of Oslo (UiO)

    Area of work

    Current projects

    Labour conditions in hotels, restaurants and bars post corona

    Hotels, restaurants and bars were hit hard by the corona pandemic. In this project, we will study the "rebuilding" of this industry, and its possible effects on working conditions. The results may also have more general relevance for the service industries in the private sector.

    Wage inequality over time in the central government sector

    The project aims to analyze wage inequality in the government sector (part of the public sector) and to identify the contributions from (a) differences in firm-specific wage-premia and (b) wage differences among colleagues within a firm.

    Mapping of the home delivery industry
    This project combines quantitative and qualitative methods to map the home delivery industry. We will prepare an overview of the largest companies, the use of self-employed and employees, and wages and working conditions.
    Unions, Productivity and Technology

    In this project, we want to examine in more detail how the productivity development in Norwegian enterprises is linked to technological development and changes in the strength of the cooperation between the social partners at the micro level. We will also study how technological developments both influence and can be influenced by trade unions.

    Maintaining the leading sector wage bargaining model

    Future of the Norwegian wage formation.

    Bonus, collective agreement - or both?

    The project will investigate the prevalence of bonuses in selected industries within the private sector, with a particular focus on linking the use of bonuses to whether the company is a party to a collective agreement.

    Wage levels in industries with extended collective agreements 2022

    The project aims to assess the number of individuals who fall below or above the standardized wage rates in industries with extended collective agreements. The data source is Statistics Norway's wage statistics for 2022. The results will be compared to similar estimates for 2019-2021.

    Fafo publications

    Completed projects

    LO's youth initiative

    Does LO's youth initiative lead to active members and union representatives?

    Employers and collective agreements

    In this project, we will examine employers' attitudes towards, and motivation for organizing in employers' associations and entering into collective agreements. Among other things, we will investigate whether there are systematic differences between companies with and without collective agreements and organized and unorganized companies.

    Wage development in the government sector

    The project will examine wage development among selected occupational groups in the government sector in the period 2004–2019.

    Permanently low-paid workers – scope and characteristics

    The project will be based on wage statistics and register data, and examine the extent of and characteristics of permanently low paid workers in Norway. More specifically, the characteristics of the people, their jobs, and where in the labour market they are located will be mapped. Furthermore, an econometric analysis will be made to determine whether the permanently low-wage earners were more likely to lose their jobs when the corona crisis hit Norway in 2020.

    Wages in industries with general application of collective agreement

    The project will investigate the extent of wages below and above the collectively agreed minimum wage rates in industries comprised by the general application of collective agreements. The data used in the project are Statistics Norway's earnings statistics for 2020.