Over the past year there have been 25,000 more temporary employees in Norway. This is an increase of 12 percent.
The increase appears in the Labour Force Survey produced by Statistics Norway, which shows that there were 232,000 temporary employees, reported Dagsavisen.
Trinelise Sundnes is in Business Administration and is not at all surprised that the retail sector, where many of her members work, is one of the industries with the greatest temporary employment increase. Health and social services, public administration and education are also fields with high growth in temporary employment.
‘This is what our people report back on. Now permanent jobs are being replaced by temporary jobs’, she said.
Sundenes believes the main reason is the new Working Environment Act which came into force last summer.
Also agreed was that temporary employment could stand without further explanation for up to a year.
‘Before, our representatives could, with the law on their side, say exactly when the employer swerved a little too far right and point out that some people had to be permanently employed. That’s a tool we no longer have.’
Minister of Labour, Anniken Hauglie, says that both the relaxation of legislation and economic conditions may have impacted. She points out that the same survey also shows an increase in employment.
‘The goal of a more flexible regulatory framework is that more people get into jobs, but permanent positions will continue to be the general rule’, said Hauglie.
Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today
