The government fears that increasing labour shortages will mean that labour immigrants will become important for Norway.

Now they are appointing a committee to analyse the need. In practice, this means that the government is opening up for more immigration.

– We must expect increasing labour shortages, and labour immigrants are an important supplement to employees in Norway. At the same time, this may contribute to greater vulnerability in the Norwegian economy, the Ministry of Labour and Social Inclusion writes on Wednesday. (NTB)

The government is therefore appointing a committee to analyse the significance that labour immigration has for Norwegian society.

In periods of high activity in the Norwegian economy and with labour shortages, labour immigration has dampened pressure in the economy, it is claimed. In the years ahead, competition for labour in Europe may become tougher, the ministry writes.

– The committee shall also propose possible new policy so that in the future we ensure that Norway has the labour we need, while at the same time we manage to include more of those who are outside working life, says Minister of Labour and Social Inclusion Kjersti Stenseng (Ap).

For several decades, Norway has received a large number of immigrants. Unfortunately, far too many of these end up outside working life. Even many of the immigrants who obtain work remain in the position for too short a time. The result is immigration that costs us several hundred billion kroner every year.

Immigrants with education that makes them sought-after, such as engineers or doctors, often appear to choose other countries as their destinations.

This may be because the wage level for such positions is not particularly high in Norway, especially not after taking into account the level of taxes and duties, as well as the high cost of living in one of Europe’s most expensive countries.

But Norway is a magnet for immigrants who lack the ability and/or willingness to find themselves a job. After all, we provide among the most generous support schemes in Europe to people outside working life. The support schemes are so generous that for quite a few immigrants, particularly those with several children, it will not pay to get a job.

There are several examples of immigrants who have lived in Norway for several decades, with everything financed by the taxpayers. Some have not even managed to learn Norwegian, even after twenty years in the country.

In the big cities, diasporas are emerging where foreigners can live together with their own, in areas where mastering the Norwegian language is not required.

Why should we believe that labour immigration under the auspices of Stenseng & co will be so different?

What about the development of artificial intelligence (AI)? Many predict that in the near future, more and more work tasks can be solved digitally. This may at least mean that there will be less need for labour in the years ahead, particularly in jobs that do not require lengthy education and extensive knowledge.

However, this has been predicted several times previously as a consequence of other technological developments, without it really having come to pass. It has usually been resolved by the population pursuing higher education in order to adapt to reality, as well as increasing specialisation. Will the same happen in a country with a very high proportion of immigrants?

The number of residents in Norway of working age who are wholly or partly outside working life is in any case a real problem. Few or no countries in Europe have as many disability benefit recipients as we do. Around 10.5–10.7 per cent of the population of working age (18–67 years) received disability benefit at the end of 2024/2025.

By comparison, the number of disabled people of working age is only 3.6–4.3 per cent in Sweden. The International Monetary Fund believes Norway must take action and change the welfare system to reverse the trend.

So when Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre on NRK Debatten claims that we in Norway have only just over 2 per cent unemployed, while Sweden has around 7 per cent, he is cheating with figures, since the figures do not refer to the same thing.

People who are studying, are disabled or receive work assessment allowance from NAV are not counted as unemployed.

The question therefore becomes whether the government really believes that we need more labour immigrants, or whether this is merely a way of increasing general immigration.

For if there are as many unemployed Swedes as Støre suggests, then perhaps we could have invited a few more Swedes here?

The very best thing would of course have been for more of those who already live in Norway and are of working age, and who are capable of it purely in terms of health, to get into work.