Report: A lot of people with an immigrant background or low education among long-term unemployed in Norway

There are more people with low education and people with an immigrant background among the long-term unemployed in Norway than before the pandemic, a report from Frischsenteret shows.

They now make up half of the long-term unemployed, Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) reports.

Researchers from Frischsenteret have looked more closely at employment during the pandemic year 2020. 

They found that low-wage earners and people with an immigrant background have become long-term unemployed to a greater extent than before the corona pandemic.

“On a larger scale”

“The unemployment problem and the fact that people are outside working life is well known. It’s just that it is on a larger scale now than before,” Simen Markussen at Frischsenteret told the channel.

He pointed out that these people are more exposed to unemployment and falling outside of working life, as was the case also before the crisis.

“But in addition, this crisis has also affected many of the industries where these people worked, so this crisis hit them particularly hard,” Markussen said.

Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Torbjørn Røe Isaksen (H) believes that three things can remedy this development: to get private businesses and companies back on track, provide retraining and continuing education combined with unemployment benefits, and closer follow-up at the NAV.

Source: © NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today / #NorwayTodayFinance

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