The new legislation brought several changes, with the aim of early integration of newly arrived refugees through strong language skills and formal qualifications. For individuals who were granted a residence permit before January 1, 2021, the old Introduction Act still applies.
The population covered in this report includes all individuals who participated in the introduction program from 2005 through 2021. In total, about 70,000 people completed the program during this period, and of these, 94 percent were still residing in Norway at the end of 2022. More than half of the participants during this time period came from Eritrea, Syria, and Somalia. From 2017 to 2021, Syrians were the dominant group among those completing the program.
Former participants of the introduction program are a diverse group. There are significant differences between the exit cohorts over the long time span examined in this report. Factors such as country of origin, gender distribution, and age vary between cohorts, and these factors influence post-program labour market outcomes. The employment rate varies across cohorts, and there are notable differences between women and men. The level of education is generally low, with seven out of ten having only completed primary or secondary school.
61 percent of all those who had completed the introduction program from 2005 to 2021 were employed in 2022. The employment rate varies by cohort, with the highest average (65 percent) seen among those who completed the program in 2013, i.e., nine years before the measurement point in 2022. For all cohorts, the employment rate increases in the years following the end of the program, but the growth slows down and levels off after eight to ten years. For women, the employment rate is clearly lower than for men, but the difference diminishes the longer the time since program completion.
The income level of former participants in the introduction program is relatively low, amounting to about 62 percent of the general income level of the comparable age population. Additionally, nearly half of former program participants live in households with persistent low income, compared to only 9 percent in the general population. However, income improves over time after completing the introduction program, and after 12 years of residence, income levels have increased to nearly 70 percent of the level of the comparable population. With increased time in the country, the level of economic self-sufficiency also increases – more and more individuals have employment income as their main source of income.
However, there are significant income differences by country of origin. Individuals from Myanmar, Eritrea, and Ethiopia tend to do much better than those from Syria, Iraq, and Somalia. This applies to income levels, degree of economic self-sufficiency, and the share living with persistent low income.
Four in ten who participated in the introduction program between 2005 and 2021 had moved after completing the program by 2022. Secondary migration among former participants is relatively low in the first years after program completion but increases with length of residence. The introduction program has contributed to giving refugees a stronger connection to their initial settlement municipality. Among those who have moved, the share in employment or education is about 2 percentage points higher compared to those who have not moved, and this difference slightly increases with time since completing the program