Jobs in Norway for Foreigners in 2026: Shortages, Salaries and Permits

Norwegian employers lack about 33,750 workers in 2026, most of them in healthcare and industry. Learn more about in-demand jobs, average salaries, where to search, UDI work permits, fees, diploma recognition and taxes for foreign workers

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Norway is short of workers in 2026. According to the annual business survey of NAV, the Norwegian labour and welfare administration, employers lack about 33,750 people, mostly in health and social care and in industry.

For foreigners this means real openings, but also strict rules on qualifications, pay and permits set by the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI).

Planning to look for a job in Norway but unsure where to start?

The Work guide from Visit World explains how the labour market works, where to search and which documents to prepare before moving. Get the Work guide for Norway and plan your job search step by step.

Which professions are in demand in Norway in 2026?

NAV estimates the shortage in health and social care at 7,200 workers, led by:

• healthcare workers (helsefagarbeidere) — 3,650;
• nurses — 1,850;
• other health professions — 1,350.

Industry is second, with 5,750 missing workers, including construction and industrial machinery mechanics, energy installers and welders. Employers also lack carpenters and joiners (1,150), electricians (1,110) and other craftsmen (950).

In Oslo, NAV also reports shortages of electricians, application programmers, cooks and plumbers. Overall, 18% of businesses had hiring problems, 3 percentage points fewer than a year earlier.

How much do workers earn in Norway?

Norway has no official minimum wage. According to Life in Norway, citing Statistics Norway, the average monthly salary in 2025 was 62,070 NOK before tax and the median 55,800 NOK; immigrants earned 55,180 NOK on average.

For work permits, UDI requires the collective agreement rate or, where none applies, the local norm for the profession: at least 624,700 NOK a year before tax where a master's degree is required and 545,400 NOK for a bachelor's degree. Lower pay is accepted only with solid proof that it is normal for the profession.

Where to look for jobs in Norway?

• NAV — one of the largest job portals, searchable by profession, employer, region and type of employment;
• arbeidsplassen.no — vacancies in English;
• EURES — all NAV vacancies; registering a CV there is advised;
• FINN.no (finn.no/jobb) — a private job database.

EURES advisers at NAV can be reached at [email protected] or +47 55 55 33 39 (press 2).

Can you find a job without Norwegian?

According to EURES, a job search in Norway needs at least good English and, in most cases, Norwegian. Those without Norwegian are advised to search via EURES and look first at vacancies marked with the EURES flag.

About the best job search platforms in Europe — read more at the link.

What are the rules for EU/EEA citizens?

EU/EEA and Swiss citizens may apply from home or come to Norway to search, and register as workers once hired if they stay over three months. Registration is free for them and their close relatives.

According to NAV, they have the same rights as Norwegian workers. Unemployed EEA nationals may receive home-country benefits for up to 3 months while searching in Norway.

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Which work permits can non-EU citizens get?

Skilled worker permit

UDI accepts one of these qualifications:

• vocational training of at least three years at upper-secondary level, if Norway has a similar programme;
• a university or college degree;
• special qualifications — usually at least six years of experience with detailed employer references; UDI notes many such applications are refused.

The job must:

• come from a concrete offer by one employer in Norway;
• be full-time, or at least 80%;
• require a skilled worker's qualification;
• offer pay and conditions not worse than normal in Norway.

Since a UDI notice of 19 February 2026, applicants applying themselves from abroad need the employer to confirm the offer and give them a code for the form, a measure against fake job offers. Regulated professions need recognition or authorisation; agency work needs client-confirmed assignments and an agency registered with Arbeidstilsynet.

How long is the permit valid and what does it allow?

• up to 1 year at a time where vocational training is required or through agencies; usually up to 3 years where higher education is required;
• permanent residence can be applied for after 3 years; family reunification is usually possible;
• a new employer for the same job needs no new permit, a different type of job does;
• after losing a job, holders may stay up to 6 months to search and must inform the police within 7 days;
• no remote work outside the permitted job and no work before the decision, except under the early-start rule.

UDI warns of forged education documents from Bangladesh, China, India, Iran, Kosovo, Nepal, Pakistan, Turkey and Viet Nam for cooks, car mechanics, carpenters, painters, bricklayers and hairdressers; such cases may take longer.

Other permits

• employees of international companies and contract workers of foreign companies — 2 years at a time, at most 6 years, then a 2-year break;
• offshore workers, athletes and coaches, religious workers;
• self-employed with a Norwegian company — expected profit of at least 341,373 NOK a year before tax;
• job seeker permit — usually after a job offer, at most 1 year, any work allowed, not counted towards permanent residence; former PhD candidates must show at least 85,344 NOK.

Stays under three months may not need a permit, depending on the case. More on temporary residence permits in Norway is in our separate article.

How much does a Norwegian work permit cost and how long does it take?

• work permit for adults, including renewal — 6,300 NOK; under 18 — 3,150 NOK;
• employer's group permit — 6,300 NOK per worker;
• first family reunification — 11,900 NOK per adult, 5,950 NOK per child;
• permanent residence — 4,000 NOK per adult, 2,000 NOK per child.

Fees are paid by Visa, Mastercard, Apple Pay or Google Pay and are not refunded after an in-person application; visa centres add a service fee. UDI gives no fixed processing time, and unofficial sources estimate four weeks to five months, so check the UDI tracker.

Do you need diploma recognition?

According to Ny i Norge, recognition is mandatory only for regulated professions. Doctors, nurses, health workers and dentists get authorisation from Helsedirektoratet; teachers and kindergarten staff from HK-dir, which took over recognition from NOKUT on 1 January 2023 and keeps the list of regulated professions. NOKUT remains the contact point for EU/EEA citizens.

How are foreign workers taxed in Norway?

According to Skatteetaten, new foreign workers who apply for a tax card pay under the PAYE scheme at 25%, or 17.4% in 2026 if exempt from national insurance, up to an income of 725,050 NOK in 2026. Unofficial sources cite 22% plus a bracket tax of 1.7–17.8% and 7.6% national insurance under the general rules, and 50% withheld without a tax card.

What should job seekers do now?

1. Check whether your profession is regulated and start recognition early.
2. Make sure the offer meets UDI pay thresholds and get the employer's confirmation code.
3. Budget for the 6,300 NOK fee and apply for a tax card on arrival.

Norwegian employers check qualifications, pay and documents closely. The Work guide helps you prepare before you apply. Order the Work guide for Norway today.

We remind you! In our previous article, we wrote about job websites, salaries and permits for working in Norway.

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