At the end of February, a total of 207,900 job seekers were registered at the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration (NAV). That is 6,500 more than in January.
“The increase in the number of job seekers in the last month has occurred in Viken, Vestland, and Oslo, and must be seen in connection with the corona outbreaks we have had in these areas,” NAV chief Hans Christian Holte noted in a press release.
At the end of February, a total of 207,900 job seekers were registered as completely unemployed, partially unemployed, or as job seekers on measures at the NAV. That makes up 7.3% of the workforce.
More layoffs
A total of 120,500 people were registered as completely unemployed at the end of February, which constitutes 4.3% of the labor force.
Furthermore, 37,800 of the fully unemployed are laid off, while the same applies to 35,300 of the partially unemployed. The laid-off now make up a total of 2.6% of the labor force.
The number of layoffs has risen by 6,500 since January. The increase in the number of job seekers last month is thus due to more layoffs – mainly more part-time layoffs.
According to Holte, with the exception of Viken, Vestland, and Oslo combined, there has been a slight decrease in the number of job seekers in the last month.
Highest proportion of unemployed in Oslo
“The laid-off make up 46% of all those who are completely or partially unemployed in Oslo, and the corona measures, therefore, have a major impact on unemployment in our city.
“A gradual reopening of Oslo will eventually lead to a decrease in unemployment, when more laid-off people can return to their jobs,” director Sonja Skinnarland at NAV Oslo said.
Oslo is the county with the highest proportion of completely and partially unemployed workers. At the end of February, 6.4% of the labor force in Oslo was completely unemployed, while 3.0% were partially unemployed. The corresponding figures for the country are 4.3% and 2.5%.
At the same time, the number of job positions advertised in Oslo is increasing. In February, 9,538 positions were advertised, which is an increase of 19% compared with February 2020.
In the last month, the most job positions were posted in health, nursing, and care with just over 1,700 positions, followed by 1,600 positions in engineering and ICT.
Source: © NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today / #NorwayTodayFinance
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