Temporary Halt in Labour Migration to Norway?

Abstract

Labour migration to Norway increased considerably following EEA enlargement in 2004. In summer 2008, close to 95 000 persons from the Baltic countries and Poland were employed in Norway in addition to 60 000 from Nordic countries and 30 000 from other EU and non-EU countries. Since 2006 Norges Bank’s regional network has monitored the use of foreign labour in an annual special focus survey. The survey shows that while in the first few years after EU enlargement, foreign workers were often hired on temporary contract, around 70 per cent now hold permanent positions. Migrant workers from Eastern Europe are increasingly being employed because of their qualifications and not because of a shortage of Norwegian labour. It is nevertheless likely that migrant workers in Norway will be more severely affected by the current contraction than other groups.