Key figures for labour market and wages
The statistics show changes in the wage levels and employment in Norway, and can serve as a basis for research work, reporting, projections and assessments of policy measures.
| Per cent | Change in percentage points previous period | Change in percentage points last 5 years | Period | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour force as percentage of population | 71.2 | -0.3 | -2.0 | January 2013 |
| Employment as percentage of population | 68.7 | -0.5 | -2.8 | January 2013 |
| Unemployment as percentage of population | 3.6 | 0.3 | 1.2 | January 2013 |
| Sickness absence as percentage of contractual working days | 6.65 | 0.2 | -0.3 | 4th quarter 2012 |
| NOK | Change in % previous period | Change in % last 2 years | Period | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly pay | 39 600 | 3.9 | 7.9 | 2012 |
| Monthly pay in public sector | 39 000 | 5.4 | 8.9 | 2012 |
| Monthly pay in private sector | 39 800 | 3.1 | 7.3 | 2012 |
| Annual salaries, all | 470 900 | 4.0 | 8.2 | 2012 |
Labour and unemployment
The main sources of the labour market statistics are the sample-based Labour Force Survey (LFS) and data from administrative registers. The LFS is based on international guidelines and contains a wide range of variables covering employment, under-employment and unemployment. Register-based data provides figures on employment at a more detailed level than the LFS, including geographically.
In addition to these two main sources, there are also separate statistics on sickness absence and job vacancies.
The national accounts provide figures on employment and hours worked/FTEs by utilising more of the statistical sources in this field and assembling this with other financial data.
Wages
The wage statistics, which are released once a year, provide an overview of detailed data on average monthly wages broken down by industry, function (occupation), gender, age and education.
The wage statistics also include statistics on quarterly economic cycles , which aim to show wage developments between two annual statistics. The wage statistics are supplemented with statistics that provide an overview of employers’ total labour costs .
Where do the figures come from?
- Questionnaires such as the Labour Force Survey (LFS) conducted by Statistics Norway.
- Register data from government agencies and departments, such as NAV’s register of employees and the unemployment register.
- Sickness absence is calculated based on medical certificates and data from employers on self-certified sick leave.
