Norway job growth slows to 0.8 percent

New data from Statistics Norway shows a net increase of 24,565 jobs in Norway from May 2025 to May 2026, representing a growth rate of 0.8 percent. While this is a slight increase from the previous month, it remains historically low.

Bernt G. Apeland, CEO of Virke, noted that 2026 is among the weakest years for job creation since the turn of the millennium. He highlighted that job growth has remained below one percent for the last two years, significantly lower than the approximately two percent growth seen prior to the pandemic.

Apeland warned that slow job growth poses risks to social inclusion and the sustainability of the welfare model. He emphasized that high job growth is essential for generating the tax revenue needed to fund increasing costs in health, care, and pensions as the population ages.