A total of 53,800 people were registered as completely unemployed at the end of April. That accounts for 1.9% of the workforce in Norway and is the lowest level since 2008.
At the end of April, 96,900 fully and partially unemployed people, as well as job seekers, were registered for measures at the NAV. That makes up 3.3% of the labor force.
NAV chief Hans Christian Holte says the decline in April is most significant among the partially laid off.
“There are fewer job seekers now than before the pandemic, and the demand for labor is still high. We would have to go back to 2008 to find a lower unemployment level,” Holte noted.
Unemployment decrease registered for all occupational groups
Adjusted for normal seasonal variations, the number of jobseekers decreased for all occupational groups in April.
The decline was greatest in tourism and transport, with 1,400 fewer job seekers (-12%).
The decline was greatest in Trøndelag, Viken, Agder, and Vestland, with 8% fewer job seekers in all the counties compared to March.
Unemployment benefit rules
On April 1, the temporary corona rules for unemployment benefits were removed.
“The decrease in the number of laid-off people must be seen in connection with the fact that a lot of people reached their maximum layoff period in April,” Holte said.
In April, 8,900 new job seekers registered at the NAV.
Source: © NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today / #NorwayTodayFinance
Do you have a news tip for Norway Today? We want to hear it. Get in touch at [email protected]
Be the first to comment on "NAV: Unemployment in Norway at its lowest level since 2008"