One in three labour market programme participants is an immigrant

The number of immigrants participating in government measures to promote employment went down 19.8 per cent from August last year to August this year, while the decline for the whole population was 34.3 per cent. The percentage of immigrants among all participants in labour market programmes consequently increased from 28.3 per cent to 34.5 per cent in the last year. The figure must be viewed in the light of the fact that unemployment is three times higher among immigrants than it is in the general population.

The number of immigrants taking part in job creation schemes went down by 819 persons from August last year to August this year. By comparison, the number of labour market programme participants from the population at large declined by 5,016 persons or 34.3 per cent. The largest decline was seen among immigrants from Eastern Europe. The statistics only cover first-generation immigrants.

7.7 per cent unemployment
Registered unemployment for first-generation immigrants went down from 10.8 per cent in August last year to 7.7 per cent in August this year. By comparison, unemployment in the general population fell to 2.6 per cent from 3.5 per cent. Immigrants from Africa had the biggest decline in unemployment.

Altogether 9,012 first-generation immigrants were registered as unemployed at the end of August 1998. This is a decline of 2,596 persons from the same quarter last year. Registered unemployment went down for all immigrant groups and particularly for non-Western immigrants. The biggest decline in unemployment was seen among immigrants from Africa, with 6.1 per cent, and immigrants from Eastern Europe, with 5.5 per cent. The unemployment rate of these groups is nevertheless five times higher than that of the entire population. Unemployment among Western immigrants dropped only 0.9 per cent, but their unemployment rate is only one tenth of a per cent higher than the general population.

New Statistics
Unemployment among immigrants, 3rd quarter 1998. The statistics are published four times a year in the Weekly Bulletin of Statistics. For more information contact: Jorn.Ivar.Hamre@ssb.no, tel. +47 21 09 49 29, or Kari.Kraakenes@ssb.no, tel. +47 21 09 47 86.

Weekly Bulletin issue no. 48, 1998