Registered unemployed among immigrants (discontinued in Statistics Norway), Q3 2013

In absolute numbers, there were 3 345 more immigrants unemployed in August 2013. Of these, 1 694 came from the EU countries in Eastern Europe. In the rest of the population there were 1 732 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 0.9 percentage points. The remaining groups had smaller increases below 0.5 percentage points. The increase in the unemployment rate was the same for male and female immigrants; 0.4 percentage points. In the rest of the population, only women had some growth; 0.1 percentage point.

Immigrants from Africa still had the highest unemployment level, at 14.1 per cent. This was followed by immigrants from Asia (8.8 per cent), Eastern Europe outside the EU (7.3 per cent), South and Central America (7.0 per cent) and EU countries in Eastern Europe (6.8 per cent). The remaining groups had considerably lower rates, as is normally the case. Immigrants from Western Europe had a rate of 3.0 per cent, while immigrants from North America and Oceania together with the Nordic countries both had rates of 2.8 per cent respectively.

Male immigrants had an unemployment rate of 6.3 per cent, while female immigrants had a rate of 7.8 per cent. In the rest of the population, the unemployment rate was 2.1 and 2.0 per cent for men and women respectively.

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 1.1 per cent in the 3rd quarter of 2012 to 1.0 per cent in the 3rd quarter of 2013. In the remaining population, this rate was stable at 0.2 per cent. Immigrants from Africa and Asia had the highest participation rates at 2.0 and 1.4 per cent respectively. Female immigrants had a higher participation rate than male immigrants, with 1.2 versus 0.7 per cent.

A total of 5 430 immigrants were participants on labour market schemes. In total, 11 630 people participated in the 3rd quarter of 2013. Immigrants therefore constituted ca. 47 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 1 000 registered unemployed persons in August 2013. The majority within this group are aged 15-29 years, and the unemployment rate among them was 5.4 per cent, which was 2.4 percentage points below the immigrant group at the same age (at 7.8 per cent) and 1.9 percentage points higher than the corresponding age group in the rest of the population (at 3.5 per cent).

Among immigrants between 15 and 29 years of age, the unemployment rate has increased by 0.3 percentage points since the 3rd quarter of 2012, while there was an increase of 0.4 percentage points among Norwegian-born to immigrant parents and 0.1 percentage points within the rest of the population at the same age.