Norway proposes 240 million NOK increase for employment measures

The Norwegian government is proposing an additional 240 million NOK in its upcoming budget to boost employment efforts. This increase will bring the total annual allocation for labor-related measures to approximately 13 billion NOK.

Labor and Inclusion Minister Kjersti Stenseng and Labor Party parliamentary leader Tonje Brenna highlighted that while the number of young people outside the workforce has decreased by 4,000 over the past year, 110,000 youths remain unemployed. The government aims to bring 150,000 more people into the workforce by 2030.

The proposed funds are earmarked for several specific initiatives:

• 22 million NOK extra for a work-oriented youth program, totaling 194 million NOK. • 30 million NOK to strengthen recruitment programs in the health and care sector. • 79.5 million NOK for the ‘Enklere Nav’ pilot in Trondheim, which provides activity money to young people.