Swedish youths’ first job in Norway

Jobbresan (the Job Journey) is run by Nordic exchange programme Nordjobb through Föreningarna Nordens Förbund (a coalition of Nordic associations). In Söderhamns municipality it is managed by Resurscentrum and in Oslo by Nordjobb.

The cooperation with Söderhamn municipality runs through 2012 and is a first step towards a Nordic model aimed at increasing mobility in the Nordic labour market, which should reduce Nordic youth unemployment figures especially among young people who would not otherwise have moved to another Nordic country.

Jobbresan comprises three steps aimed at removing the main obstacles faced by young people seeking work in a different Nordic country. 

These are a lack of capital and work experience, a lack of networks in Norway and advice on how to find work and a place to live in Norway. 

The cooperation with Söderhamn municipality means Nordjobb must receive 80 people from there during 2012.

The three steps are:

• one month’s internship
• one month paid course with the home municipality with focus on job seeking activities  
• one month paid-for stay at Anker Hostel in Oslo.

Experience shows employers will first look to hire people who already live in Norway, especially in trades which are not suffering from a lack of skilled labour. This is the reason behind step three - participants get the chance to spend four week taking part in the labour market with a much higher level of activity than what is on offer in other Nordic countries. 

The first 20 participants from Söderhamn have all been offered jobs after an average of one or two interviews during the first week. It has taken on average five days from arrival in Norway to them being offered a job.

The average pay is 145 Norwegian kroner (€19.2) an hour. Most work driving forklift trucks in storage facilities. The third week all 20 participants were in full employment.