It is common for both men and women to have a job, also when they have small children. Youngsters often have part-time jobs while attending secondary school.

The labour market in Norway
In recent years, there have been many vacancies on the Norwegian labour market. Still, many have been unemployed. This is mainly due to the fact that the applicants' backgrounds do not match the education or skills the employer is looking for.

Many professions require a specific educational background; for instance teaching, nursing, engineering. Lately, there has been a shortage of nurses and assistant nurses in Norway.

There are also jobs for which you do not need special educational skills. These jobs are called "ufaglærte jobber" in Norwegian. Examples are kindergarden assistant, cleaner, shop assistant, switchboard operator, kitchen assistant, and newspaper deliverer. Some of these jobs you can learn more about in a course or through trainee placement through the employment office/NAV.

It is important that you have documentation to prove your skills and your previous work experience. Make sure that school certificates, diplomas and references from previous employers are translated into Norwegian. English documents need no translation.

You can read more about documentation and translation here

Last modified 27/12/2007