Decline in unemployment in January

NAV office, where unemployed and job seekers goes for support.NAV. Photo: Norway Today Media

The number of people registered as fully unemployed fell by 2,200 in January, according to seasonally adjusted figures from Nav.

 

Unemployment has decreased in the past year from 3.2% of the workforce, to 2.6%.

By the end of January, 71,800 were registered completely unemployed by Nav, a decline of 16,400 since January last year.

‘Registered unemployment has now fallen steadily for over a year when we correct for seasonal fluctuations. Looking at the past twelve months, January has had the biggest percentage decline. The trend of falling unemployment applied to all counties, and most occupational groups, said Nav Director, Sigrun Vågeng.

Gross unemployment, which also includes jobseekers who participate in measures given by Nav, fell by 2,700 people from December to January.

Fewer registered

A total of 91,300 people were registered as full-time unemployed, or were jobseekers who participated in measures set by Nav.That is 17,200 fewer than a year ago, equivalent to 3.3% of the workforce, down from 3.9% last year.

In January, there were on average 800 people who registered every day as jobseekers. This is about 250 fewer daily compared to the beginning of 2016, when this figure was at its highest.

Down all over Norway

The number of unemployed has fallen in all counties in the past year. The decline is highest in Rogaland by 34%, followed by Vest-Agder by 25%

The unemployment rate is highest in Aust-Agder by 3.4%, followed by Rogaland by 3.3%. The lowest unemployment rate is found in Sogn oand Fjordane, and in Troms, both with 1.7%.

In Oslo, 10,238 people, or 2.7% of the workforce, were completely unemployed by the end of January. This is a 1,558 decline from January last year.

 

© NTB Scanpix / Norway Today