Integration - employment

The figure shows the development in the proportion of employed and unemployed among immigrants, non-immigrants and the total population in Nordland, Troms and Finnmark, and on a national basis for the period 2009-2019. An immigrant is defined as a person who resides and lives in Norway, but was born abroad by foreign-born parents

Employment among immigrants is broadly lower than for people without an immigrant background. In recent years, however, the differences between these two groups have decreased, which is due to the fact that employment among immigrants has increased while employment in the rest of the population has declined.

At the same time, unemployment has fallen. Unemployment among immigrants is still far higher than among non-immigrants, but where it is lowest in Troms. The distance in employment between immigrants and non-immigrants is smaller in the three northernmost counties than on a national basis.

Similarly, the median income is far higher for people without an immigrant background than for people with an immigrant background. Among immigrants, incomes vary by country of origin. Immigrants from the EU / EEA area, North America and Oceania have a higher median income than immigrants from Eastern Europe, Africa and South and Central America.
Both among immigrants and people without an immigrant background, the median income increased in the period 2009-2019, but where the relative growth has been greatest in the immigrant group.

Work is important to secure personal income and thereby avoid poverty and even out inequalities. A solid personal economy also provides positive health benefits. For society, this means that people are not in work, loss of valuable labor and value creation. Therefore, it is important that employment for the immigrant population also increases.