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Talent Wiki – Norway

Your quick guide on talent and labor compliance norms in Norway

Capital

Oslo

Currency

Kroner

Languages

Norwegian and Sami

Payroll Frequency

Monthly

GDP per Capita

$79,638.75

Employer Tax

14.1%

Talent Overview

Norway is one of the most financially-progressive countries in the world, with oil and gas contributing to 20% of its economy. The country ranks 9th in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Index and is the 14th freest economy in 2022, with a score of 76.9.

Major economic hubs:

Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim

Skills in demand:

Nursing, pharmacists, HVAC engineers, railway engineers

Norway Map

Local Universities

The top local universities in Norway are as follows:

Norway Uni1

Universitetet i Oslo

Ranking

Local: 1

World: 129

Norway Uni2

Norges teknisk-naturvitenskaplige universitet

Ranking

Local: 2

World: 199

Norway Uni3

Universitetet i Bergen

Ranking

Local: 3

World: 245

Norway Uni4

UiT Norges arktiske universitet

Ranking

Local: 4

World: 620

Norway Uni5

OsloMet

Ranking

Local: 5

World: 1107

Salary Data

Some common jobs in Norway with average monthly salary are:

Job Title Average Annual Salary (NOK) Average Yearly Salary (USD)
Financial Manager 1,170,000 NOK 117,184 USD
General Manager 1,000,000 NOK 100,158 USD
Business Developer Manager 934,000 NOK 93,547 USD
Financial Analyst 731,000 NOK 73,215 USD
Business Analyst 726,000 NOK 72,714 USD
Project Manager 649,000 NOK 65,000 USD

 

Norway Talentoverview

Talent Sourcing Tips

Top Local Job Boards:

NAV, Jobs in Oslo, The Local

Number of LinkedIn users:

2,390,000

Multiplier Recruitment Partner:

iXceed 

Employing in Norway

The Working Environment Act (WEA) regulates the employer-employee relationship in Norway. The Act is applicable to all employees but not self-employed professionals. The following provisions form an important part of WEA, and all employers in Norway must respect them.

Employee Contract

The Norwegian labour laws require employers to present a written employment contract to their employees. The contract must include important details such as working location, date of commencement, job description, benefits, notice period, collective agreement, and duration of the contract.

Probation Period

The probation period in Norway is a maximum of six months from the employee’s first working day.

Public and Provincial Holidays 2023

Date Name Type
1 Jan New Year’s Day National holiday
28 Mar Maundy Thursday National holiday
29 Mar Good Friday National holiday
31 Mar Easter Sunday National holiday
1 Apr Easter Monday National holiday
1 May Labor Day National holiday, Flag day
9 May Ascension Day National holiday
17 May 17 May Constitution Day (1814) National holiday, Flag day
19 May Whit Sunday National holiday
20 May Whit Monday National holiday
25 Dec Christmas Day National holiday
26 Dec Boxing Day National holiday

Employee Leaves

Type of Leave Time Period Mandatory
Annual/Earned Leave 25 days Yes
Sick Leave 16 days Yes
Maternity Leave 18 weeks (12 weeks before birth and 6 weeks after birth) Yes

 

Payroll

Payroll 1

Payroll Cycle

Employers in Norway follow a monthly payroll cycle.

Payroll 2

Minimum Wage

Norway does not have a statutory minimum wage policy. The wage amount is decided via collective agreements between employers and employees.

Payroll 3

Overtime Pay

The standard working hours in Norway are 9 hours per day and 40 hours per 7 days. However, employees who commit longer duration to their work are liable to overtime pay. 

Bonus

13th Month Pay: Norway does not mandate 13th month pay.

Employee Benefits: 

  • Social security
  • Healthcare and insurance
  • Paid leaves
  • Pensions

Taxes

Employer Payroll Tax:

Contribution Rate
Social security 14.1%

Employee Payroll Tax:

Contribution Rate
Social security Employees 8%
Self-employed 11.2%

Employee Income Tax:

The general income tax is levied at flat 22%. Additionally, individuals earning more than NOK 190,250 are subject to the following progressive tax rates:

Income range (in NOK) Rate
NOK 190,350 – NOK 267,900 1.7%
NOK 267,900 – NOK 643,800 4.0%
NOK 643,800 – NOK 969,200 13.4%
NOK 969,200 – NOK 2,000,000 16.4%
More than NOK 2,000,000 17.4%

VAT:

The rate of Value Added Tax in Norway is 25%.

Offboarding & Termination

Termination Process: Termination of employment contract is considered legal in the following cases:

  • Business-related reasons
  • Employee-specific reasons
  • Collectively-agreed dismissal
  • Resignation by the employee
  • Expiration of the contract
  • Employer’s death, permanent illness or retirement

Norway’s Working Environment Act mandates employers to provide a written notice before terminating an employee’s contract. The notice is not necessary in cases of termination due to misconduct.

 Employees on probation must be given 14 days of notice period before termination. Permanent employees are given notice period as per the following table:

Length of continuous employment Notice period
0 – 4 years 1 month
5 – 9 years 2 months
10 years and more 3 months

Furthermore, the notice period is prolonged to 4 months if the employee has reached 50 years of age after 10 years of continuous employment, 5 months after the age of 55 and 6 months after 60 years of age.

There are no laws regarding mandatory severance pay in Norway. The employee is only entitled to their ordinary salary and any additional monetary benefits mentioned in the contract. A severance package is only legal if it’s a part of the collective agreement between the two parties.

Visa and Immigration

Every expat in Norway must have resident and work permits before their first date of employment. The prospective employee can apply for the permits themselves, or their employer can reach out to the relevant authorities on their behalf. The work permit application takes nearly 8 weeks to process, during which the employee can stay with a residence permit but cannot work for the employer.

Norway Visa
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Payroll

Minimum Wage

Overtime Pay

The standard working hours in Norway are 9 hours per day and 40 hours per 7 days. However, employees who commit longer duration to their work are liable to overtime pay. 

Norwegian laws legalise overtime only during exceptional and time-specific circumstances. Overtime must not exceed 10 hours in a span of 7 days, 25 hours in 4 consecutive weeks, and 200 hours in 52 weeks. Employers must compensate the employee for the overtime work, by paying at least 40% higher than the regular hourly rate. 

Visa & Immigration