When the Norwegian parliament (Storting) assembles, it is constituted and then formally opened by the king, who reads the speech from the throne. The speech expresses the main lines of the government’s policy for the coming year.
During the speech from the trone in the Storting, King Harald spoke about the challenges in working life, and especially about the need for more people to work in the welfare state of the future.
On Tuesday, King Harald opened the 166th Storting and held the traditional speech from the throne, the last under Erna Solberg’s government this time. In the speech from the throne, the king highlighted the climate crisis and inclusion in working life as the most important tasks for the next period.
“The economic activity in Norway is picking up quickly. There are now more employed people in the population than before the pandemic. Fewer and fewer are unemployed. There are more and more vacancies,” the king said.
More people will have to work to finance the welfare state when the contribution from oil activity is reduced, he pointed out.
“We already see a shortage of qualified labor in several places. It is both a challenge and an opportunity. A challenge because the lack of labor results in less value creation and welfare in society, an opportunity because there are many more who can and will work in our society,” he noted.
Source: © NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today / #NorwayTodayNews
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 "King Harald opens the 166th Norwegian parliament, delivers the speech from the throne"