Unemployment benefit in Norway - what are the rules?

The Norwegian welfare system NAV is widely regarded as one of the most developed and fair systems in the world. It provides residents of Norway with a broad range of social benefits designed to ensure decent living conditions and equal opportunities for all. The foundation of the Norwegian welfare system is the principle of social solidarity. This means that all residents of Norway are responsible for the well-being of others and jointly finance the welfare system through high taxes and social contributions. As a result, the system can provide financial support and services for people who need help, regardless of their social or economic status.

Today we will write more about a specific branch of NAV, namely unemployment benefit. In Norway, unemployment benefits are an integral part of the Norwegian welfare system. Norway aims to ensure decent living conditions for all citizens, including people who are unemployed.

Unemployment benefit (dagpenger) - who is entitled to it?

Although the Norwegian social insurance system provides all residents with access to support in certain life situations, some benefits require several conditions to be met. In the case of dagpenger, you must meet several conditions:

1. Reduction in working hours of at least 50%
   The basic condition for being entitled to dagpenger is a loss of at least 50% of your working hours. If you work in several places, the total working time across all of them must be reduced. When calculating the reduction, NAV assumes a maximum working week of 40 hours.
2. Drop in income
   The reduction in working hours must also affect your income. This means that you will not receive the benefit if the reduction does not affect your earnings.
3. Minimum income
   To meet the income requirements, you must have earned at least 177 930 NOK (that is, 1.5 times G) over the last 12 months or 355 860 NOK (that is, 3 times G) over the last 36 months. The value of G (Grunnbeløpet) is set annually. These calculations also include parental benefits, maternity benefits and pregnancy-related sickness benefits. Income from running a business is not included.
4. Availability for work
   You must be an active jobseeker. This means that, as a rule, you must be able to work at least part-time and be ready to take up work anywhere in Norway, as well as attend job fairs.
5. Residence in Norway
   In principle, you must be staying in Norway and be a member of the social insurance system. In some cases, it is possible to apply for dagpenger even if you do not live in Norway, thanks to transferring the benefit to another EU country - this can be done for up to 12 months, for example when looking for work in Poland.
6. Age
   To receive unemployment benefit (dagpenger), you must be under 67. This benefit is payable until the month in which you turn 67.

Dagpenger - not only for those who are fully laid off

Unemployment benefit in Norway may be available to us not only when we have lost our job completely, but also when we are temporarily laid off. What does this mean?

For example: in the industry you work in, there is a slowdown, so your employer has lost contracts. Unfortunately, because of this, there is no work for you. If you are employed at 100%, your employer would still have to pay your wages - which would be another financial loss for them. Therefore, in such a situation, the employer has the option to send you on permittering, that is, to lay you off temporarily. In that case, you are entitled to dagpenger on the same terms as people who are out of work. Depending on the situation, you may receive full or partial benefit depending on the percentage reduction in working hours.

Other information

1. Active labour market policies
   Norway also focuses on active labour market policies aimed at supporting unemployed people in finding work. Training programmes, career guidance, internships and other forms of support are available to unemployed people to help them gain new skills and improve their chances of employment.
2. Support with job seeking
   The Norwegian welfare system also offers support in finding work. Unemployed people can get help from career advisers who assist with preparing CVs, writing cover letters, preparing for interviews and other aspects of job searching.
3. Activation programmes
   Norway runs various activation programmes aimed at supporting unemployed people in returning to the labour market. These programmes include vocational training, community work, work placements and other forms of activity designed to improve the chances of employment.

If you have any questions for us about unemployment benefits, please contact us by email: info@efirma.no or by phone: +47 21 38 38 21.