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WORKING IN NORWAY

First steps: What to know when searching for a job in Norway 

Whether you have recently arrived in Norway or have worked here before but are now unemployed or looking for a new opportunity, this is how you should start your job search. 

Published: 26 January 2024 13:21 CET
Pictures is a person during a job interview.
There are a number of things you need to know when looking for a job in Norway. Pictures is a person during a job interview. Photo by Tim Gouw on Unsplash

Norway draws thousands of foreigners to the country for work each year. High wages and decent job security mean that many who arrive in the country for work end up staying. 

Whether you’ve recently arrived in Norway, lost your job, or are looking for your next challenge, there are several crucial steps you need to take to aid your search. 

Register as a job seeker or unemployed, and register with the police 

Those who have already worked and paid taxes and national insurance in Norway may be able to register as a job seeker with the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration (NAV) and receive financial support while they search. 

NAV is also one of the go-to places for job listings in Norway, along with Finn-no, so it should be considered an excellent place to start your search. 

Meanwhile, others may need to register with the police that they have lost their job under the conditions of their residence permit. 

READ ALSO: How work permit holders can stay in Norway if they lose their job

Therefore, if you have already spent some time in Norway, you need to check whether you are required to register as a job seeker. 

Be aware that some forms of financial assistance from NAV can delay your eligibility for some citizenship and residence rights. This mainly concerns økonomisk sosialhjelp, but you should still check the rules. 

If you are required to register as a job seeker with the police, be sure to do so as soon as possible. 

Take time to refresh your CV and do some research 

Before getting fully stuck into your job search, it may be worth seeing if there are any ways you can tweak your CV to make it any more appealing to Norwegian recruiters. 

When it comes to writing a CV, there are plenty of templates online adapted to what’s typical in Norway. 

Additionally, many recommend replacing the word “I” with “we” where appropriate to show you are a good team player. 

If your Norwegian skills are good enough, try and write up the CV in Norwegian. If not, stick to English. If you submit a CV that somebody else has translated for you, the employer may feel that you are trying to deceive them by pretending that your Norwegian skills are better than they really are.

Some foreigners in Norway have reported changing their names to a more “Norwegian one” on their CVs. While this might sound like a smart hack on the surface, it could lead to awkward situations later in the job-hunting process. 

READ ALSO: The dos and don’ts of writing a killer CV to impress Norwegian recruiters 

Research can also provide a massive boost to your job hunting. If you only have the language skills to work in English, it’s best to put together a shortlist of all the companies in your industry with English as the working language. 

Additionally, Statistics Norway, the National Data Agency for Norway, keeps quite detailed statistics on the average and median wages in certain professions and sectors. This should give you an overview of how much you should expect to earn and will prove advantageous further down the line. 

Looking for jobs 

There are several places to look for jobs in Norway. As we’ve mentioned, NAV has most of the job listings in the country offered on its site. Users can also filter jobs by whether they require English or Norwegian. 

Finn.no is most people’s place to look for jobs. On the site, you can fill out a profile and be sent a weekly roundup of jobs that match your profile. 

Besides these sites, LinkedIn is also popular. Many international companies with English as the working language post their opportunities on Linkedin; therefore, it’s worth making a shortlist of companies to follow on the site as you’ll be notified whenever a job is posted. 

The Local Norway also has a page featuring jobs and opportunities across Norway. 

It’s also common to find jobs via one’s personal network. If you have a network established in Norway already, you should heavily consider asking around. 

There are also several recruiters in Norway who can help match you up with a job suited to your skills and experience. If you need a new job and an income stream as soon as possible, recruiters offer plenty of opportunities. 

Member comments

  1. The links provided in this article seem to not be working right for me. Some don’t open the page such as the “guidelines to a good CV” and others take me to the wrong site such as the “page featuring jobs and opportunities across Norway”. I’m reading from the app on my phone.

    1. Hello, thank you for flagging this issue up. I will inform our tech team of this problem. The links work fine on desktop, but appear to be having issues in our app.

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For members

NORWAY EXPLAINED

What are the rules for taking annual leave in Norway?

If you've just started working in Norway or if you've been employed in the country for a while but need clarification on its annual leave rules, this is what you need to know.

Published: 15 May 2024 12:41 CEST
What are the rules for taking annual leave in Norway?

While annual leave isn’t among the top reasons people usually decide to move to Norway and work there, it is an important component of Norwegian work and social culture.

Compared to some other European countries, Norway has quite a generous annual leave policy, which ensures that workers have enough time to rest and recover from the stress of their jobs.

READ MORE: How to maximise Norway’s public holidays in 2024 – five essential tricks

The basic annual leave quota – and holiday pay

As an employee in Norway, you have both a right and a duty to take your annual holiday, and every employee in the country is entitled to at least 25 working days of annual leave each year.

This quota includes Saturdays as working days, which equates to approximately four weeks and one day of holiday per calendar year (Sundays and public holidays are not counted as working days).

When it comes to holiday pay, workers need to accumulate their holiday pay rights in their first year of employment.

Thus, as the amount of holiday pay you get is a collective monthly percentage of what you have made in the past year, you will not have earned holiday pay if you were not employed the previous year. 

However, you are still entitled to take leave days.

If you want to learn more about how holiday pay works in Norway, check out The Local’s explainer on the issue.

Collective agreements and additional holidays

While the minimum quota of 25 days of holidays is in place, employees can get even more holiday days than this legally required minimum.

Many workers in Norway are entitled to a five-week holiday through a collective agreement or separate agreements with their employer. This extra time off is often accompanied by an increased holiday pay rate.

Furthermore, if you’re nearing retirement, you’re in luck, as all employees aged 60 or over are entitled to an extra week of holidays.

Airport

You should discuss your holiday schedule with your employer well in advance – be sure to do so before booking a vacation outside of Norway. Photo by Hanna Kretsu on Unsplash

How to schedule and take leave in Norway

Per Norwegian laws, employers must ensure all employees take full annual leave.

It’s a good idea to have a chat with your boss about your holiday plans well in advance.

If you can’t agree on dates, your boss gets the final say on when you can take time off.

But don’t worry, in Norway, you’re guaranteed at least three weeks of continuous vacation time between June 1st and September 30th.

If you prefer, the rest of your holiday days can also be lumped together without any breaks.

Note that your boss can ask you to give them a heads-up about your vacation plans at least two months beforehand.

The relevant sections of the Norwegian Holiday Act, available here and here, provide more details on holiday scheduling and duration.

What you need to know about fellesferie 

The term fellesferie is used for the collective vacation period or general staff holiday period that many Norwegian companies stick to, typically occurring in July.

The concept of fellesferie is a tradition – companies aren’t legally obligated to adhere to it – but, in practice, you’ll find that may do. The Local has an entire article on how this tradition started and what makes it special.

How do holidays work if you’re ill – or on parental leave?

Of course, special situations and life events may also occur during or before your holidays.

If you fall ill before or during your leave, you may have a right to a new holiday – or to postpone your holiday.

Should you become sick before your holiday, you can ask your employer to postpone it until later in the holiday year.

You’ll need to get a medical certificate to prove that you’re ill and submit an official request for postponement by no later than the day before the holiday starts.

The right to defer or be granted a new holiday only applies to the statutory holiday period.

As an employee, you have the right, but not an obligation, to take statutory holidays during the period of leave when you receive parental benefit.

If you choose to defer it, the leave will be deferred by a period corresponding to your holiday.

Can I carry leave days forward – or take my leave in advance?

If you reach an agreement with your employer, you can also carry forward up to two weeks of the statutory holiday to the following year.

Similarly, you can also take up to two weeks of your holiday in advance.

However, make sure to check your employment contract (and collective agreement, if you fall under one), as the rules concerning the carrying forward of holiday and advance holiday may be set differently based on these contracts.

READ MORE: What is a Norwegian collective bargaining agreement?

If you have an agreement that allows you to have extra holiday days on top of the statutory holiday quota, you can also agree with your employer that these additional holidays can be carried forward to the following year.

If you’re changing jobs, know that if you do not take your holidays during the current year before your employment ceases and move to a new employer before September 30th of the same year, you will be entitled to take your remaining holiday with your new employer.

For more information on the specifics of the holiday rules in Norway, consult the Norwegian Holiday Act (available in English).

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