Wages and fees up NOK 27 billion

Total wages, fees and taxable payment in kind totalled NOK 396.9 billion in 1996, up NOK 27 billion or 7.3 per cent from 1995. At the same time payments of unemployment benefit declined while pension benefits increased.

Each person had an average of NOK 162,100 in wages, fees and taxable payment in kind in 1996. This is a 6.7 per cent increase from 1995. Wage totals increased the most for women, with 6.9 per cent, against 6.5 per cent for men, since 1995. In monetary terms this amounted to NOK 8,300 for women and NOK 11,900 for men. Average total wages of men in 1996 was NOK 193,100, while the corresponding amount for women was NOK 128,000.

The group with the highest average total wages was men aged 46-50, with NOK 258,900. Geographically, people living in Akershus County and Oslo topped the list, with an average of NOK 191,600, while people in Northern Norway rank at the bottom, with NOK 144,500 in average wages.

More people on the payroll

A total of 2,448,000 persons were registered as receiving wages, fees and taxable payment in kind in 1996. This is 14,000 more than in 1995. Although a growing number of people are receiving wages, fees, etc., the number declines for those under 25 years of age and those over 60. The decline is the most pronounced among the elderly, with 5.6 per cent in the age group over 65. Among young people the decline is 3.5 per cent in the age group under 20.

318,200 persons receive unemployment

Steadily fewer people receive unemployment benefit. Altogether 318,200 persons received such benefits at least once in the course of 1996. This is a decline of 9.5 per cent since 1995, and is a further improvement on the previous year's 7.7 per cent decrease. Total disbursements came to nearly NOK 8.9 billion in 1996, a decrease of 11 per cent from the year before. Young people make up the majority of unemployment benefit recipients, while the number declines with age. On the other hand, the oldest recipients receive the biggest payments on average. Men received an average of NOK 29,500, while women received NOK 25,900 in 1996. This is a reduction of 1.8 per cent for men and 0.8 per cent for women since 1995.

New Statistics

Wage statistics. Wage totals from End of Year Certificate Register, 1996. Final figures.
Statistics are published annually in the Weekly Bulletin of Statistics. More information: Sigbjørn Strømsnes, tel. +47 62 88 51 69, e-mail: str@ssb.no, or Knut Håkon Grini, tel. +47 62 88 54 44, e-mail: gri@ssb.no.

Weekly Bulletin issue no. 3, 1998