Minister admits: ‘We have a serious discrimination problem’

A new study has proven what many people in Norway already knew: Your chances of landing a good job in the country are dramatically lower if you don’t have a Norwegian name, and women still face challenges securing executive positions. The findings have upset, even embarrassed, top politicians who like to think Norway is an [...]

Immigrants over-qualified at work

A professor at the University of Bergen says she’s not surprised by a new study showing that 26 percent of workers in Norway with immigrant background are over-qualified for the jobs they have. She suspects discrimination is behind the figures. “There seems to be a pattern that immigrants more often than ethnic Norwegian employees find [...]

Norwegians lining up for food

Lines at soup kitchens aren’t just occurring in crisis-struck countries in southern Europe. Some people are waiting more than four hours for food handouts in Oslo as well, when their cash doesn’t last through the month. Unemployment remains low in Norway but those out of work are finding it harder to find jobs. Unemployment benefits [...]

Fewer immigrants arrive in Norway

As the economy shows signs of slowing down in Norway, fewer immigrants from eastern Europe are arriving in the country looking for work. More are still coming from southern Europe, but many find it hard to find a job despite Norway’s low unemployment rate. Newspaper Dagsvisen reported on Wednesday how Theo Nikolaidis from Greece has [...]

Economy prospers despite EU crises

UPDATED: Revised forecasts suggest that the Norwegian economy will do better than originally expected this year, giving many consumers more money than they may otherwise have had. Nonetheless, Norway is not immune to the destabilizing forces in the world economy as the Oslo Stock Exchange fell for the seventh day in a row on Thursday [...]

Unemployment falls again

Unemployment in Norway has fallen for the fourth month in a row, with unemployment now standing at 2.9% – with 5,600 less unemployed people than at this time last year. 74,200 are now registered as unemployed in Norway, according to the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration (Arbeids- og velferdsforvaltningen, NAV). Unemployment fell 2,500 during the [...]

Jobless rate rises among immigrants

Government officials often brag about Norway’s low unemployment rate, but job prospects for immigrants remain dim. While the overall unemployment rate is now around 3.5 percent, it’s risen to 7.1 percent among immigrants who, meanwhile, recently were advised to undersell themselves in Norwegian job interviews. New figures revealed this month by state statistics bureau SSB [...]

Even fewer unemployed in Norway

The state agency in charge of unemployment benefits and assistance in Norway, NAV, reports what it calls “a clear reduction” in unemployment in January compared to a year ago. Fewer people are registering themselves as being without work and more jobs are being advertised, according to NAV officials. NAV’s numbers reflect a nationwide unemployment rate [...]

Leaders meet to tackle unemployment

Government leaders including the prime ministers of Spain and Greece were in Oslo on Monday for an international conference aimed at reviving the labour market, which has been savaged by the global finance crisis. Norwegian leaders were clearly proud that their capital was chosen as venue for the high-level meeting. Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg, official [...]

Unemployment rate ‘artificially low’

Norway has been boasting the lowest unemployment rate in Europe for months, but researchers now suggest the real numbers of Norwegians out of work are higher. Both the researchers and some opposition politicians think published jobless rates have been “artificially low.” A new study reported by newspaper Aftenposten on Wednesday reveals that many people who [...]