Norway is running out of nurses, health professionals, and skilled vocational workers

NursePhoto: Jil Yngland / NTB

Norway will not have enough workers with a vocational background in the years to come, according to a new report from Statistics Norway (SSB).

Demand is growing stronger when it comes to workers with upper secondary vocational education in industry, construction, and crafts, health professionals, and nurses.

The data was revealed in SSB’s report entitled “Projections of the labor force and the demand for labor at the national level for various education groups up to 2040.”

“If measures are not initiated, this shortage will likely intensify in the future,” senior researcher Nils Martin Stølen, who has been involved in writing the report, noted.

More with higher education

The report shows that more people will have higher education in the years to come.

As the elderly retire, people with an education from primary or secondary school will be replaced by people with higher education.

That means that there will be more people with a bachelor’s and master’s education, but it is not certain that everyone will get a job that requires their level of education.

“Despite significant growth in demand, this could be the case when it comes to education in economics and administration, social sciences and humanities,” Stølen warned.

Labor force challenges

The projections show higher growth in the labor force than in expected demand for many occupational subjects at the bachelor’s and master’s level.

These are occupational subjects where relatively few will retire in the next few years. 

Only a small proportion of the newcomers to the labor force will replace those who retire.

© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today

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