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Working in Norway
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Working in Norway: A weekly roundup of the latest jobs new and talking points
Frazer Norwell - [email protected]
Published: 1 Sep, 2021 CET.
Updated: Wed 1 Sep 2021 13:05 CET
Every week The Local brings you a roundup of the latest jobs news and talking points related to working life in Norway. This week we’re looking at crunch talks over support for laid-off workers and asking whether you love or loathe working from home.
Government to hold crunch talks as schemes for laid-off workers set to end
Minister of Labour and Social Affairs, Torbjørn Røe Isaksen, will hold crunch talks with employers and major players in working life on Friday as the government prepares to scrap schemes supporting workers laid off due to the pandemic.
Currently, schemes will be phased out in October, and the government doesn’t expect its stance to change following the talks. Around 80,000 people will see their finances impacted by the cuts, but Prime Minister Erna Solberg said the focus should be on getting people back into work rather than extending support.
“Full focus must now be to ensure that we get people into work, and ensure we get workers into sectors lacking labour,” Solberg told public broadcaster NRK.
Last week parties opposed to the cuts said they would join forces to block the government from scrapping support.
On Tuesday, this was put to a temporary halt when it was decided that parties should hold off being able to block the government from ending schemes until after talks had taken place.
Poll Results: Is income tax in Norway fair?
Last week we asked you whether you thought income tax in Norway was fair after we revealed which parties have pledged to cut income tax as part of their election campaigns.
Norway is known for its notoriously high taxes, which help fund its subsidised health care system and generous welfare state.
Readers were split down the middle on whether they thought income tax in Norway was fair. Half said it was reasonable, and the other half said it wasn’t.
William, a software engineer, said income tax in Norway was fair as the money was used well.
“The money is put to good use,” he said.
Mihai, who lives in Ensjø and works in IT, disagreed and thought those on middle-to-high incomes are taxed unfairly. However, he did think that various proposals to cut income tax for the lowest earners are a good idea.
“Taxing the medium-to-high wages more is not fair, as some of these earners spent years in schools and worked a lot to get to that income. I agree that low-income jobs should be taxed less, but not at the expense of those that invested time and effort in their education,” he argued.
Home office here to stay?
Working from home has been under the spotlight this week, with a new study offering a glimpse into the future of working from home.
In short, it looks like working from home has made itself at home in Norwegian working life and is here to stay for the foreseeable future.
“For those who can offer a home office, the pandemic has taught us that it is entirely possible and that in many cases it gives both the company and the individual employee new opportunities,” Ole Erik Almlid, head of the Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise (NHO) told newspaper VG.
A survey from the NHO revealed that 45 percent of employers who answered the survey said that they would offer a home office after the pandemic ends.
Poll: Do you want to continue working from home once the pandemic ends?
The home office, do you love it or loathe it. Let us know in the poll below whether you want to keep working from home or not.
Did you know?
For most people looking for a winter sports job, a seasonal job in hospitality is the most straightforward option for foreigners.
Every resort will have a number of restaurants, hotels and after-ski venues, and they all need seasonal staff in the form of waiters, waitresses, receptionists, cleaners and housekeepers.
Other winter sports jobs in Norway include ski instructors, park shapers at snowboard parks, lift operators and resort reps.
There are also some office-based jobs in marketing and advertising, but these are hard to come by, especially for foreigners. Furthermore, a strong grasp of Norwegian will be required as you’d often be liaising with Norwegian businesses.
READ MORE: How to find a winter sports job in Norway
Below you’ll find a couple of helpful articles, guides and resources put together by The Local, which cover key aspects of working life in Norway.
How to get a work permit in Norway
What is the future of home working in Norway?
Comments
See Also
Government to hold crunch talks as schemes for laid-off workers set to end
Minister of Labour and Social Affairs, Torbjørn Røe Isaksen, will hold crunch talks with employers and major players in working life on Friday as the government prepares to scrap schemes supporting workers laid off due to the pandemic.
Currently, schemes will be phased out in October, and the government doesn’t expect its stance to change following the talks. Around 80,000 people will see their finances impacted by the cuts, but Prime Minister Erna Solberg said the focus should be on getting people back into work rather than extending support.
“Full focus must now be to ensure that we get people into work, and ensure we get workers into sectors lacking labour,” Solberg told public broadcaster NRK.
Last week parties opposed to the cuts said they would join forces to block the government from scrapping support.
On Tuesday, this was put to a temporary halt when it was decided that parties should hold off being able to block the government from ending schemes until after talks had taken place.
Poll Results: Is income tax in Norway fair?
Last week we asked you whether you thought income tax in Norway was fair after we revealed which parties have pledged to cut income tax as part of their election campaigns.
Norway is known for its notoriously high taxes, which help fund its subsidised health care system and generous welfare state.
Readers were split down the middle on whether they thought income tax in Norway was fair. Half said it was reasonable, and the other half said it wasn’t.
William, a software engineer, said income tax in Norway was fair as the money was used well.
“The money is put to good use,” he said.
Mihai, who lives in Ensjø and works in IT, disagreed and thought those on middle-to-high incomes are taxed unfairly. However, he did think that various proposals to cut income tax for the lowest earners are a good idea.
“Taxing the medium-to-high wages more is not fair, as some of these earners spent years in schools and worked a lot to get to that income. I agree that low-income jobs should be taxed less, but not at the expense of those that invested time and effort in their education,” he argued.
Home office here to stay?
Working from home has been under the spotlight this week, with a new study offering a glimpse into the future of working from home.
In short, it looks like working from home has made itself at home in Norwegian working life and is here to stay for the foreseeable future.
“For those who can offer a home office, the pandemic has taught us that it is entirely possible and that in many cases it gives both the company and the individual employee new opportunities,” Ole Erik Almlid, head of the Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise (NHO) told newspaper VG.
A survey from the NHO revealed that 45 percent of employers who answered the survey said that they would offer a home office after the pandemic ends.
Poll: Do you want to continue working from home once the pandemic ends?
The home office, do you love it or loathe it. Let us know in the poll below whether you want to keep working from home or not.
Did you know?
For most people looking for a winter sports job, a seasonal job in hospitality is the most straightforward option for foreigners.
Every resort will have a number of restaurants, hotels and after-ski venues, and they all need seasonal staff in the form of waiters, waitresses, receptionists, cleaners and housekeepers.
Other winter sports jobs in Norway include ski instructors, park shapers at snowboard parks, lift operators and resort reps.
There are also some office-based jobs in marketing and advertising, but these are hard to come by, especially for foreigners. Furthermore, a strong grasp of Norwegian will be required as you’d often be liaising with Norwegian businesses.
READ MORE: How to find a winter sports job in Norway
Below you’ll find a couple of helpful articles, guides and resources put together by The Local, which cover key aspects of working life in Norway.
How to get a work permit in Norway
What is the future of home working in Norway?
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