Living and working in Norway

Norway - up north Length 1750 km 432 km at the widest 6 km at the narrowest Long coastline 7th largest country in Europe 16 persons per km 2

Geography Population 5 mill Immigrants Capital Oslo inhabitants 19 counties Biggest cities: Bergen Trondheim Stavanger

Norway Currency: Norwegian kroner - NOK Constitutional monarchy King Harald V and Queen Sonja

Characteristics - 30° to + 30°C Bright summer – dark winter Nature variety Outdoor activites Hight standard of living Extensive welfare system Safe working conditions

Language Norwegian or a scandinavian language Norwegian courses in most towns You have to pay for the language course Two official forms. - Standard Norwegian and new Norwegian Close to Swedish and Danish Norwegians speak English well Many regional dialects

Cultur Flat structure in the workplace Conformity/Equality/No special treatment Enjoying space, keeping distance, privacy Cold lunch Dugnad – working for free Dress code Importance of nature

Nav EURes - felles europeisk databasewww.eures.europa.eu/ - jobb i utlandet og i Norgewww.nav.no – informasjon om å jobbe og bo i utlandetwww.eures.no

The Labour market in Norway Current situation - 2,7 % unemployment - current supply of vacant positions pr.day approx Sector with highest unempolyment - Building and construction (3,7%) - Industry (3,6 %) Sectors with lowest unemployment - Education ( 1,1%) - Engineering and IT (1,2%)

Labour Market – shortages/demand Engineers mainly oil & gas IT specialists (with experience) Mechanical Industry (skilled workers) Health sector ( doctors, dentists and specialised nurses) Hotel and tourism (sesonal chefs and waiters) Preschool teachers Construction sector (highly skilled workers only) Transport (bus drivers and long-distance) Agricultural workers (skilled)

Hotel and restaurant A need for chefs and cooks Waiters, headwaiters and barkeepers Biggest need in and around Oslo Mountain and fjord areas also Particularly during summer season Good language skills required

Working conditions Written contract is mandatory 6 months probational period Periode of notice – 3 months - 2 weeks during probational period Salary paid one a month Employer draw tax from your monthly pay 37,5 working hours per week Shift workers can have 35,5 hours working week Maximum 40 hours per week Membership in a trade union can be useful…

Working conditions Holiday leave is 25 working days per year Holiday pay normally paid out in the month of June Holiday pay 12% of gross pay for trade union members 10,2% for non trade union members Holiday pay is accumulated Labour Inspection Authority:

Recidence/registration Norway is an EEA (not EU) member EU/EEA citizen have the right to work in Norway from the first day of arrival Job holders must register with UDI (Directorate of Immigration): - register online or the nearest police station or Service Centre for Foreign workers (Oslo, Stavanger, Tromsø) Job seekers self-register only when staying longer than 3 months You will also need a National Identification number - Tax office/population register –

Taxes Working in Norway for a Norwegian employer, you pay income tax and national insurance contribution in Norway Average income tax is 28% National insurance contribution 7,8% Deductions! EU citizens are entitled to a deduction called standardfradrag in the two first years (10% or max NOK per year) House morgage, loans/debts increae your deductions Tax return submitted every year in April

Is Norway expensive? Most Norwegians families have two incomes Income tax is average for Europe Housing is expensive (approx 35-45% of income) Food (except meat) and clothes are not so expensive Alcohol and cigarettes are very expensive Eating out in a restaurant is also expensive One beer will cost about 8 Euro and a glass of wine about 10 Euro in a pub/restaurant. One coffee about 3,5 Euro

Jobbseeking Make a Curriculum Vitae (CV) in English Europass v increasingly common Application letter maximum 1 page Use and company web siteswww.gulesider.no On-line CV registration very common Contact employers directly Use your personal network Social media!

Jobbseeking – The CV Personalia (name, address etc.) Education Work experience Courses Language skills Interests References (former employer + phone numbers) Photo (not required) 1-2 pages maximum

Useful websites Job related (Labour and Welfare organisation) (Nav Eures Norway) Study in Norway (Recognition of higher education)

Useful web sites New in Norway (Gateway to public sector) (Travel) (New in Norway) Official pages (Tax card and personal number) ( Customs) ( Work and residence permits, registration) (Import of animals and plants)

Thank You! Hallgeir Johansen