Norway Jobseekers Steady in August

The number of people registered as out of work in Norway stood at a seasonally adjusted 62.2 thousand in August 2026, little changed from 62.1 thousand in July. This corresponded to 2.1% of the workforce, unchanged from the previous month. Unemployment was highest among child and youth workers and tourism and transport occupations, at 2.9% of the workforce, while academic professions and health, nursing and care recorded the lowest rates, at 0.9% and 1.0%, respectively. Regionally, Oslo and Østfold posted the highest unemployment rates at 2.8% and 2.7%, while Troms recorded the lowest at 1.3%. Meanwhile, labor demand remained relatively strong, with 30.6 thousand vacancies advertised in August, equivalent to around 1,900 openings per working day, although the total was 2% lower than a year earlier. On a non-seasonally adjusted basis, fully unemployed people totaled 62.8 thousand in August, down from 64.0 thousand in July.

The number of people registered as out of work in Norway rose to a seasonally adjusted 62.1 thousand in July 2026 from an upwardly revised fourteen-month low of 61.7 thousand in the previous month. This corresponded to 2.1% of the workforce, up from 2.0% in June. Unemployment was highest among child and youth workers, at 3.0% of the workforce, while academic professions and health, nursing and care occupations recorded the lowest rate, at 0.9%. Regionally, Oslo and Østfold posted the highest jobless rate at 2.9% and 2.8%, respectively, while Troms recorded the lowest at 1.3%. Meanwhile, labor demand weakened, with 25.4 thousand vacancies advertised in July, equivalent to around 1,800 openings per working day and down 14% from a year earlier. On a non-seasonally adjusted basis, the number of fully unemployed people rose to 64.0 thousand in July from 58.1 thousand in June.

The number of people registered as out of work in Norway fell to a seasonally adjusted 61.4 thousand in June 2026 from 62.0 thousand in the previous month. This marked the lowest level since April 2025, equivalent to 2.0% of the workforce. Unemployment remained broadly stable across most occupational groups, with the lowest rates recorded among academic professions and health, nursing and care occupations, both at 0.8%, while tourism and transportation continued to post the highest unemployment rate at 2.7%. Regionally, Troms recorded the lowest jobless rate at 1.2%, while Oslo had the highest, with 2.6% of the workforce registered as fully unemployed. Meanwhile, labor demand remained strong, with 44.6 thousand vacancies advertised in June, equivalent to around 1,900 openings per working day and unchanged from a year earlier. On a non-seasonally adjusted basis, the number of fully unemployed people edged down to 58.1 thousand in June from 58.3 thousand in May.