1. Living and Working in Norway
Erik Jørgensen/Innovation Norway
Introduction
Nils-Erik Bjørholt/Innovation Norway
Gry Vist & Tove Gustad
NAV EURES NORWAY
Johan Wildhagen/Innovation Norway 1

2. NAV EURES Labour and Welfare Administration Job Centre
National Insurance
Welfare office
EURopean Employment Services
In Norway, the job centre, national insurance and local welfare offices are gathered in one organisation with local offices around the country – look for the logo.
As EURES advisers we work with labour mobility – helping people like yourselves, giving presentations about living and working in other countries and helping employers to find candidates for vacant positions.
EURES Portugal has arranged this job fair.
There are 34 advisers in Norway, just under 800 in the EU and EFTA 2

3. Geography Population , 4 888 000 Immigrants: 500,000
(Poland, Pakistan, Sweden, Irak, Somalia, Germany…)
Length 1750 km
7.th largest in Europe
19 counties
16 person per km2
Capital Oslo
575,000 inhabitants
Trondheim 168,257
Bergen 252,051
Stavanger 121,610
Kristiansand 79,500

4. Norway Currency Norwegian kroner, NOK
Constitutional monarchy, King Harald V
Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg
Centre-Left Coalition government
€ 1 = NOK 8

5. Characteristics -30° to +30°C Bright summers/Midnight Sun
Dark winters/Polar Night
Northern Lights
(aurora borealis)
Natural variety
Outdoor culture
High standard of living
Extensive welfare system
Safe working conditions

6. Language Two official forms: Close to Swedish and Danish
Standard Norwegian (bokmål)
New Norwegian (nynorsk)
Close to Swedish and Danish
Many regional dialects
Language of the Sami people
Norwegians speak English well
Most employers require Norwegian or a Scandinavian language
Norwegian courses held in most towns
Free language courses not offered
Norwegian is not quite a world language. However, if you learn one language, you might say you get two for free – gaining ”access” to a linguistic region of some 18 million people. Scandinavians understand each other well.

7. Cultural Matters at work
Flat structure in the workplace – Who is the boss?
Conformity/Equality/No special treatment
Enjoying space, keeping distance, privacy
Cold lunches

8. Labour Market in Norway
September 2010: 2.8%
Unemployment:
Vacancies:

9. Labour Market II Shortages: Mechanical (skilled workers)
Engineers (seniors)
IT specialists
Health sector (doctors, nurses, assisting nurses and specialised nurses)
Hotel and tourism (Seasonal - chefs and waiters)
Sales staff
On longer term:
Employees for production of renewable energy

10. Offshore Industry Large competition for jobs
Highly skilled personnel with long experience only
Shortages: Petroleum engineers
Recruits from Mechanical Industry

11. IT Large activity in the late 90s 2006: Increasing demand
Large demand for highly skilled personnel

12. Health Dentists: Public Sector Doctors: Specialists
Doctors: Rural areas
Nurses: Specialised education
Assisting nurses
Unskilled: No demand

13. Hotel and Tourism Chefs Waiters Bartenders Good language skills
Seasonal work
e.g Ski-resorts in the mountains

14. Working Conditions Written contract! 6 months probationary period
Salary paid once a month
Employer draws tax from your monthly pay
37,5 working hours per week
Shift workers have 35,5 hours working week.
Maximum 40 hours per week.
These are some of the norms of working life in Norway.
A standard job contract is required by law to state:
Start date, place and type of work, pay and pay dates, holiday, weekly work hours, probationary or trial period, and end date if any.

15. Taxes
Working in Norway for a Norwegian employer, you pay income tax and national insurance contribution to 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 40,000 per year)
House mortgage, loans/debts increase your deductions
Tax return submitted every year in April
What is drawn from your salary every month – typically 36% and around 45% for high wages – includes your national insurance contribution

16. What do you get for your wages?
Norway – 5th place in Europe for cheap food!
6 hours’ work = 1 week’s supply of food
How Norwegians spend their salary:
housing, electric etc. 27%
public transport, car 20%
food & household goods 18%
culture, leisure %
UNDP:Norway highest score for income, life expectancy and living conditions
Statistics Norway –

17. Accommodation Most Norwegians own their own home:
90% of couples living together
67% of young couples and single parents
Average rent for a house/apartment is NOK 6000 (€ 714) per month. Oslo and Stavanger are more expensive
You can get your own house with a garden for about NOK 1,500,000 to 2,500,000 (€ 180, ,000). Prices vary depending on location and size. Exception Oslo and Stavanger.

19. Salaries Average monthly salary NOK 34,200 (€ 4071)
The 10% best paid average NOK 66,300 (€ 7893) per month
The 10% least paid average NOK 19,300 (€ 2300) per month
No minimum salaries
Collective (tariff) agreements by sector
Wage negotiations yearly (in April-May) between trade unions and Norwegian Employers’ Confederation

20. Jobseeking 60-70% of jobs are not advertised
Make a Curriculum Vitae (CV) in English
Europass CV increasingly common
Use and company web sites
Contact employers directly
Use your personal network
Three reference persons

21. Where to find jobs www.nav.no (Norwegian)
(jobs posted in English)
NAV Service Centre Phone:
(Mon-Fri 08:00-18:00)
Contact the EURES Adviser in your area

22. Work/Residence permits
Norway is an EEA (not EU) member
EU/EEA citizens have the right to work in Norway
Restrictions apply for citizens of Rumania and Bulgaria
Jobholders (with written contract) must register:
(Register as a new user)
Visit police or service centre for Registration Certificate
Jobseekers self-register, only when staying longer than 3 months
If you have found a job in Norway, self-register and visit your nearest police station or service centre for foreign workers to obtain your registration certificate, which is also your formal residence and work permit
Jobseekers will not receive a certificate, and should register when staying longer than three months

23. Arriving in Norway Service Centre for Foreign Workers www.sua.no
Police (Politiet)
Tax Office/Population Register
Bank
NAV
Child benefit
Family doctor
Call centre
Oslo, Stavanger and Kirkenes in the north have Service Centres for foreign workers. These are visiting centres
As soon as you arrive in any new country there are formalities to take care of as soon as you can.
We have a description of these formalities available after the presentation. 24