Solid job optimism among Norwegian businesses

97% of Norwegian employers plan to keep or increase the number of employees up to the summer.That is higher than at the same time last year reported ManpowerGroup.

‘’With so many optimistic businesses, it is difficult to get the right heads.Therefore, many employers are focusing on upgrading the knowledge of existing employees’’ said CEO, Maalfrid Brath,of ManpowerGroup Norway.

She referred to ManpowerGroup’s labour market survey for the second quarter of 2019,where it appears that more Norwegian employers are planning to staff up rather than to down before the summer.

8% said they will hire more people before the summer. 89% will retain the workforce as it is,while only 2% will reduce staffing. 756 Norwegian companies responded to the survey.

The Norwegian employment plans have stabilised after rising steadily in recent years. The outlook is unchanged since the previous quarter.

South-western Norway stands out

The labour market outlook is positive across the country.The greatest optimism is in the south-west of Norway.There, the proportion of companies looking for labour has increased by 6% since the same time last year.

At the same time, the workforce outlook has weakened somewhat in Northern and Central Norway. In the North, there are still a majority of employers who want to recruit, but the outlook is a full 14% lower than at the same time last year. In Central Norway, the workforce outlook is down 8% in one year.

‘’There is a lower rate of employment in Northern and Central Norway, but no reason for pessimism. Employers have gone from full speed ahead to a more sustainable employment rate’’ said Brath.

In the survey, employers in seven out of nine industries stated that they plan to increase the staffing level. Oil and gas, banking and finance, as well as hydropower, electricity, and infrastructure are distinguished by strong estimates for recruitment.

© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today