Working in Norway
If you plan to work in Norway, you can count yourself lucky. According to the European Employee Index for 2010, Norway is the best country in the world in which to work! The report, which is conducted by Ennova, shows that 78% of Norwegians feel secure in their job, 70% find satisfaction in their work, and 62% believe they could find another job if they wanted to. A strong economy and welfare state has created an environment of trust, confidence and optimism within the labour force.
If you come to Norway with a job, you can get right down to the business of working within a new culture. Norway’s work culture is generally very supportive of employees, and puts a strong emphasis on balancing the demands of one's work-life. Your boss may even be concerned that you are working too hard or too much. Working hours are normally 8am to 4pm, with exceptions made for parents with small children, personal appointments, sickness, and national holidays. If there is a lot of snow or the day is unusually warm, the office may empty early. By law you will have 4-5 weeks of holiday.
Colleagues with families will normally leave work to pick up kids from school, or go straight home without stopping to socialise. Expats may search the office at 4:05pm, only to find that all their Norwegian colleagues have already gone home. Don’t expect Norwegians to work after-hours. Some expats find that outside of work hours, the office can be a lonely place. International companies are increasingly using English as the working language, but there is still a strong emphasis placed on Norwegian in the office space.
Norway’s robust economy offers many opportunities for expats, particularly those in the fields of engineering, IT, research and finance. Most expats find work within the shipping, energy, and oil and gas industries. Norway survived the 2008 financial crisis better than most of Europe, and its already-stable economy is improving. The largest employers in Norway are: Aker, Norsk Hydro, Telenor, Orkla, Aker Kvaerner and Statoil.
With a low unemployment rate (approx 3.5% as of February 2010), there are often many open positions. However, being a small market, it may be a challenge to find a position that best fits your background and profile. Multinational firms often hire expats, even if they don’t speak Norwegian. Otherwise, the general feeling is that employees should know Norwegian and have some experience of the Norwegian market.
If you come to Norway with a job, you can get right down to the business of working within a new culture. Norway’s work culture is generally very supportive of employees, and puts a strong emphasis on balancing the demands of one's work-life. Your boss may even be concerned that you are working too hard or too much. Working hours are normally 8am to 4pm, with exceptions made for parents with small children, personal appointments, sickness, and national holidays. If there is a lot of snow or the day is unusually warm, the office may empty early. By law you will have 4-5 weeks of holiday.Colleagues with families will normally leave work to pick up kids from school, or go straight home without stopping to socialise. Expats may search the office at 4:05pm, only to find that all their Norwegian colleagues have already gone home. Don’t expect Norwegians to work after-hours. Some expats find that outside of work hours, the office can be a lonely place. International companies are increasingly using English as the working language, but there is still a strong emphasis placed on Norwegian in the office space.
Norway’s robust economy offers many opportunities for expats, particularly those in the fields of engineering, IT, research and finance. Most expats find work within the shipping, energy, and oil and gas industries. Norway survived the 2008 financial crisis better than most of Europe, and its already-stable economy is improving. The largest employers in Norway are: Aker, Norsk Hydro, Telenor, Orkla, Aker Kvaerner and Statoil.
With a low unemployment rate (approx 3.5% as of February 2010), there are often many open positions. However, being a small market, it may be a challenge to find a position that best fits your background and profile. Multinational firms often hire expats, even if they don’t speak Norwegian. Otherwise, the general feeling is that employees should know Norwegian and have some experience of the Norwegian market.
