Registered unemployed among immigrants (discontinued in Statistics Norway), Q2 2013

In absolute numbers, there were 3 169 more immigrants unemployed in May 2013. Of these, 1 870 came from the EU countries in Eastern Europe. In the rest of the population, there were 929 more persons registered as unemployed.

Strongest increase among immigrants from EU countries in the east

Immigrants from the EU countries in Eastern Europe had the strongest growth, of 1.0 percentage point. The remaining groups had either small increases between 0.1 and 0.3 percentage points or unchanged rates.

Immigrants from Africa still had the highest unemployment level, at 12.4 per cent. This was followed by immigrants from Asia (7.8 per cent), EU countries in Eastern Europe (7.0 per cent), South and Central America and Eastern Europe outside the EU (6.3 per cent each). The remaining groups had considerably lower rates, as is normally the case. Immigrants from Western Europe had a rate of 2.9 per cent, while immigrants from Nordic countries and North America and Oceania had rates of 2.5 and 2.4 per cent respectively.

The high level of unemployment among African immigrants is partly due to the dominance of refugees within this group. They have for several years had the highest registered unemployment rate irrespective of the economic cycles.

Slight decline among participants on labour market schemes

Measured as a percentage of the immigrant population aged 15-74 years, the rate of participants on ordinary labour market schemes (job programmes) decreased from 1.6 per cent in the 2nd quarter of 2012 to 1.5 per cent in the 2nd quarter of 2013. In the remaining population, this rate was stable at 0.3 per cent. Immigrants from Africa and Asia had the highest participation rates at 3.2 and 2.0 per cent respectively. There was a weak decline in the numbers of participants on labour market schemes both among immigrants and in the rest of the population (137 and 332 participants respectively).

A total of 8 216 immigrants were participants on labour market schemes. In total, 18 920 people participated in the 2nd quarter of 2013. Immigrants therefore constituted ca. 43 per cent of the total participant group.

Lower unemployment among Norwegian-born to immigrant parents than immigrants

Norwegian-born to immigrant parents is still a rather small group of unemployed. This group constituted slightly more than 900 registered unemployed persons in May 2013. The majority within this group are aged 15-29 years, and the unemployment rate among them was 5.2 per cent, which was 2.3 percentage points below the immigrant group at the same age (at 7.5 per cent) and 2.0 percentage points higher than the corresponding age group in the rest of the population (at 3.2 per cent).

Among immigrants between 15 and 29 years of age, the unemployment rate has increased by 0.6 percentage points since the 2nd quarter of 2012, while there was an increase of 0.5 percentage points among Norwegian-born to immigrant parents and 0.2 percentage points within the rest of the population at the same age.