Hauglie on social security tour wants people out of the NAV trap
Ballangen and Iveland are municipalities where the proportion of citizens receiving social security benefits is blatant. The Minister of Labour wants to help the municipalities back on track.
– There are too many people dependant on welfare, and we have to work together to get people out of the social security trap. Our society depends on providing work – especially the youngters. The trend must be reversed, says Minister for Labour and Social Affairs, Anniken Hauglie (Conservatives).
Social security tour
Tuesday she embarks on a trip that could be called a social security tour of the municipalities Ballangen in Nordland and Iveland in Aust-Agder. Both municipalities have a high proportion of Nav beneficiaries. Several other municipalities with a high proportion of beneficiaries are also invited to meet with the minister on the tour. Hauglie has invited mayors, councilors, municipal doctors, business men and, believe it or not, Nav leaders to give feedback regarding what they think is necessary to reverse the trend and get more people back into the workplace.
Hauglie says the proportion of social security needs in every municipality depends, inter alia, on the age composition, educational level and available industries.
– These are matters that the individual municipalities cannot control fully. It is therefore a general challenge for communities to solve. Therefore I hold these meetings. What are we not achieving and where should we make a change? Can we, as an example, encourage enough potential entrepreneurs to pursue their own ideas?
Demand for increased participation
Hauglie points to job creation, business development and start-up help for entrepreneurs is important. She also believes that it is important that people move to where jobs actually are to be found. Moreover, she believes it should be more demand for activity in the social security system. The Minister of Labuor is chiefly worried that more and more young people are labeled as disabled and therefore receive benefit payments.
© NTB Scanpix / Norway Today
