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

NAV EURES Labour and Welfare Administration - Job Centre - National Insurance - Welfare office EURopean Employment Services

Geography Population, 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 Bergen 252,051 Trondheim 168,257 Stavanger121,610 Kristiansand 79,500

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

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

Language Two official forms: –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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

Costs Food (except meat) and cloths 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 will cost about 10 euro in a pub/restaurant. One coffee will cost about 2,50 euro Cars are very expensive. Petrol is also expensive, despite the fact that Norway is an oil producing country. The prices will vary from day to day. On average it costs about 1,4 euro per liter. It is expensive to visit Norway as a tourist.

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 12% UNDP:Norway highest score for income, life expectancy and living conditions Statistics Norway –

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.

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

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

Where to find jobs (Norwegian) (jobs posted in English) NAV Service Centre Phone: –(Mon-Fri 08:00-18:00) Contact the EURES Adviser in your area

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

Arriving in Norway Service Centre for Foreign Workers Police (Politiet) Tax Office/Population Register Bank NAV Child benefit Family doctor Call centre