The number of job vacancies decreased somewhat from the 1st quarter of 2015 to the same quarter of 2016.
The decrease in the production of oil and gas and in manufacturing continued, albeit to a lesser degree than previously. On the other hand, there was an increase in some service industries.
There were 57 500 job vacancies in the 1st quarter of 2016; 1 100 fewer than the same quarter the previous year. In line with the decrease in the number of job vacancies, the job vacancy rate decreased from 2.2 per cent in the 1st quarter of 2015 to 2.0 in the same quarter of 2016. The percentage of job vacancies is measured as a percentage of the total number of jobs, i.e. the number of employees and vacancies.
In manufacturing, the number of job vacancies decreased by 500 from the 1st quarter of 2015 to the same quarter of 2016 – corresponding to a decrease of 18 per cent. In mining and quarrying – an industry dominated by the production of oil and gas – the number of job vacancies was halved compared with the same quarter the previous year. There has been a decrease in this industry over the last three years, from 1 900 job vacancies in the 1st quarter of 2013 to 300 in the same quarter of 2016.
Increase in some service industries
In professional, scientific and technical activities, there were 5 200 job vacancies in the 1st quarter of 2016. This is an increase of 1 800, or 53 per cent, from the same quarter the previous year. Some service industries dominated by the public sector had a moderate increase in the number of job vacancies.
Source: SSB / Norway Today
