7 most popular jobs for immigrants in Norway.

“If all foreigners traveled back to their countries right now, Norway would literally stop”. That sentence I have heard from Norwegians, a few times here in Stavanger. It makes sense, I’d say. Let’s see why.

Immigrants make Norway go round.

I have met many Brazilians all over Norway. They have different jobs. One is a teacher, another one is a dentist, another is a nurse, another is a cashier at a supermarket, another is an accountant, another is a hair dresser and another is a skin therapist. Just to name a few of them so that you can see how broad the contribution is to the country. Norway has immigrants from all continents. Many foreigners come from: Eritrea, Poland, The Philippines, Somalia, Pakistan, China, Latvia, UK.

Before we start, I’ll give you three reasons why immigrants get jobs in Norway:

1. As substitutes. For when someone is sick, on maternity/paternity leave. Foreigners are necessary in Norway to cover the locals’ vacations. You know that all Norwegians take Summer holidays seriously. Without substitutes from abroad, important services like health care would have serious shortage of employees.
2. To do the “unwanted” jobs. They do the work that Norwegians don’t want to do. Because salaries are low, and/or these professions are less considered now that Norway has become a rich country and most population has had access to better education and job opportunities.
3. They are highly qualified to specific jobs. And a third hypothesis is they’ve come here because of love and since they are very skilled , they get jobs and contribute to the society.

If you live in Norway, this paragraph is dedicated to you. I’d like you to take a look at your life, your recent years, months, even yesterday. Did you take a bus or a taxi? Who was the driver? Did you go to the gym? Who was washing the toilets? Do you have kids in school? Who’s the assistant teacher? Who cleans your child’s classroom?

I’m eager to integrate foreigners in Norway as I am so happy to live here.

I am also eager to make Norwegians value the hard work that foreigners do to make it our home.

Here are the 7 sectors with most foreigners.

1. Oil industry. In 1969, when petroleum was found in Norwegian territory, it was the Americans and British who brought workforce and knowledge to the locals. The foundations of the oil exploit here was made by foreigners.

2. Bus and taxi drivers. It’s a job not many Norwegians are keen on doing. Polish, African, East European drivers are the majority we see in Stavanger.

3. Construction. Most immigrants in Stavanger come from Poland. The construction field would collapse without them. Polish builders come with their knowledge and willingness to work in Norway as they can earn as much as five times more than they do in Poland.

4. Doctors, nurses and midwives. Our family doctor is an immigrant. Thank God. I really like her because I feel like she understands me when I mention medicine from Brazil that I wish they had in Norway, for example. One of my best friends is a Brazilian nurse and she dedicates her heart to the elders who are about to die. Another good friend of mine is a competent cardiologist from Asia. The midwife that assisted me when I gave birth to my child is from Denmark. She was a substitute because many regular Norwegian midwives were on Summer holidays.

5. Cleaning services. All the cleaning employees I have ever seen in Stavanger are foreigners from Asia and Africa. I wonder what Norway would do without them. I also wonder if all Norwegians know that and value their work.

6. Restaurants. Next time you go to a restaurant in Stavanger, look around and you’ll see large number of foreigners who are waiters and cooks. One of my favorite sushi place has a cook from Portugal. I don’t know why, but each time I go there I feel like she’s going to make special sushi for me.

7. Kindergartens. I used to work as ringevikar at kidnergartens, when someone was sick and they needed a substitute. I used to call myself firefighter, as I went there to “stop the fire” and save the day. I tried my best to memorize all the names to the new kids and give them my best. After a few months, I got the employee of the month certificate and flowers. That made me so happy. Each kindergarten I have worked at, I met several foreigners. Some say that it’s the first place they get a job at. Though it’s not an easy job. It requires pedagogical skills. As a mother, I think that foreigner workers can give sense of diversity to the little ones. That’s positive. As an employee, I was super happy to have a Greek colleague as she was the only one to spare me from lifting chairs and sweeping the floor when I was pregnant. Norwegians are harder on that matter.

Now in the Summer 2022, after coronavirus pandemic, tourism is opening again with a bang! Hotels and restaurants are hiring for Summer jobs. You can see listings here and here and here and here.

What about you? Do you see many foreigners where you work? I’d love to hear your experience.

Are you curious about finding a job in Norway? Check this post here.