Living and Working in Norway in 2010, presented by EURES

1. Living and Working in Norway Nils-Erik Bjørholt/Innovation Norway Johan Wildhagen/Innovation Norway Erik Jørgensen/Innovation Norway Janne Nilsen NAV EURES NORWAY

2. NAV EURES • Labour and Welfare Administration - Job Centre - National Insurance - Welfare office • EURopean Employment Services • www.nav.no • www.eures.no

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 Bergen 252,051 Trondheim 168,257 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 8,30

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: – 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

7. Language Tools • www.migranorsk.no (web-based course) • www.lexin.no (dictionary) • www.dialang.org (language test) • http://steinpastein.cappelendamm.no (free online exercise book) • Visit your local bookstore for book/CD courses

8. 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 • Dress code

9. Dress code

10. Labour Market in Norway • August 2010: 2,9% • Unemployment: 76 000 • Vacancies: 18 500

11. 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

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

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

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

15. Hotel and Tourism • Chefs • Waiters • Bartenders • Good language skills • Seasonal work f.ex Ski-resort in the mountains

16. 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.

17. Working Conditions • Holiday: 25 working days per year • 30 days for employees over the age of 60 • 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 • The Working Environment Act: www.arbeidstilsynet.no

18. 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

19. National Insurance I • What is covered through the National Insurance? • Sickness Benefit • 100% pay first year • 66% second year if still in active treatment • Unemployment Benefit • About 63% of pay for a maximum of 2 years • Child birth benefit • 12 months with 80% pay (or 10 months, 100% pay) • Paternity leave 10 weeks

20. National Insurance II • What is covered through the National Insurance? • Old-age pension • Retirement age in Norway is 67 years • Disability benefit • Free hospital treatment • Free dental treatment for under-18s

21. National Insurance III • What is covered through the National Insurance? • Child benefit • Ages 0 to 18: NOK 970 (€116) per month • Single-parent benefits • Cash benefit “Kontantstøtte” • Ages 1 to 3: Up to NOK 3657 (€435) per month. • You have to apply for these benefits at Nav if the child is not born in Norway.

22. 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

23. 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 – www.ssb.no

24. Average Prices NOK € Bread, 750 g 20 2,40 Milk, 1l 13 1,55 Butter, 250 g 17 2 Cheese, 1 kg 78 9,30 Beer, 0,33 l 19 2,30 Coffee, 250 g 16 1,90 Potatoes, 1 kg 9 1,10 Coca Cola, 1,5 l 20 2,40 Beef, 1 kg 200 23,80 Sausage, 1 kg 100 12 Salmon, 1 kg 80 9,50 Shrimps, 1 kg 80 9,50 NOK € Big Mac menu, large 85 10,10 CD 170 20 Cinema ticket 90 10,70 Newspaper 15 1,80 Magazine 59 7 Chocolate, Mars 12,50 1,50 Hair cut, women 450 50 Hair cut, men 400 30 Bus ticket, Oslo 25 3 Cigarettes, 1 pack 70 8,40

25. 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 (€ 180,000-300,000). Prices vary depending on location and size. Exception Oslo and Stavanger.

26. Jobseeking • 60-70% of jobs are not advertised • Make a Curriculum Vitae (CV) in English • Europass CV increasingly common • Use www.gulesider.no and company web sites • Contact employers directly • Use your personal network • Three reference persons

27. Where to find jobs • www.nav.no (Norwegian) • www.nav.no/english (jobs posted in English) • www.eures.no • www.finn.no/jobb • www.stillinger.no • NAV Service Centre Phone: +47 800 33 166 – (Mon-Fri 08:00-18:00) • Contact the EURES Adviser in your area

28. Vacancies – ledige stillinger

29. CV-BASE

30. 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: – https://selfservice.udi.no (Register as a new user) – Visit police or service centre for Registration Certificate – Jobseekers self-register, only when staying longer than 3 months

31. Arriving in Norway • Service Centre for Foreign Workers www.sua.no • Police (Politiet) www.politi.no • Tax Office/Population Register www.skatteetaten.no • Bank • NAV www.nav.no Child benefit Family doctor Call centre +47 810 33 810

32. Erik Jørgensen/Innovation Norway Janne Nilsen – janne.nilsen@nav.no NAV EURES VESTFOLD Bem-vindo