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 km2

Geography

•Population 5 mill •Immigrants 500.000 •Capital Oslo •612.000 inhabitants •19 counties •Biggest cities: •Bergen 250.000 •Trondheim 170.000 •Stavanger 121.000

Norway

• Currency: Norwegian kroner - NOK

• Constitutional monarchy King

Harald V and Queen Sonja

• Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg

• Centre-Left calition government

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

Nav EURes

• www.eures.europa.eu/ - felles europeisk database • www.nav.no - jobb i utlandet og i Norge

• www.eures.no – informasjon om å jobbe og bo i

The Labour market in Norway

• Current situation

- 2,4 % unemployment (Sept. 2012) – 63 060 persons - 2400 less than one year ago

- current supply of vacant positions pr.day approx. 1000

• Sector with highest unempolyment - Building and construction (3,7%) - Industry (3,6 %)

• Sectors with lowest unemployment - Education ( 1,1%)

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)

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

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

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

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 40.000 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 www.gulesider.no and company web sites • 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)

Useful websites

Job related

• www.nav.no (Labour and Welfare organisation) • www.nav.no/eures (Nav Eures Norway)

• www.eures.europa.eu

Study in Norway

• www.studyinnorway.no

• www.nokut.no (Recognition of higher education)

Useful web sites

New in Norway

• www.norway.no (Gateway to public sector) • www.visitnorway.no (Travel)

• www.nyinorge.no (New in Norway) Official pages

• www.skatteetaten.no (Tax card and personal number) • www.toll.no ( Customs)

• www.udi.no ( Work and residence permits, registration) • www.mattilsynet.no (Import of animals and plants)

Thank You!

Gry Kristin Vist

eures@nav.no