Fewer immigrants without jobs

NAV Social security fraud, NAV Rule labour marketNAV.Photo: Norway Today Media

Unemployment among immigrants has fallen slightly in one year, many more people are joining the labor market.

Overall there were 80,341 people without jobs in May of this year, according to figures from Statistics Norway (ssb), which in turn is based on Navs registration of jobseekers. Of these 30,270 were immigrants. This represents 7 per cent of immigrants in the country, down from 7.2 percent in the first quarter.

For the rest of the population, unemployment rose from 2.0 to 2.1 percent. For the population as a whole registered unemployment was 2.9 percent in May.

In May this year 2,471 more immigrants
we’re in the labor market than in the same month last year. It represents an increase of 44.3 percent.

Immigrants from Africa is where unemployment is highest, with 11.2 percent. SSB notes that this must be seen in connection with the large proportion of refugees in this group. Immigrants from EU countries in Eastern Europe had the second highest unemployment rate, with 8.4 percent.

Looking at counties, Rogaland has had the largest increase in registered unemployment among immigrants, with 2.2 percentage points.

Not unexpectedly the oil downturn has also contributed to Rogaland and had the largest increase in unemployment in total, with 1.3 percentage points.

In both Rogaland and Agder counties registered unemployment among immigrants is at 9.5 percent in the second quarter. Troms had the lowest unemployment rate among immigrants with 4.2 percent.

Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today