Registered unemployed among immigrants (discontinued in Statistics Norway), Q4 2016

Almost 28 700 immigrants were registered as unemployed at the end of November 2016, which is the reference time of the 4th quarter. This constitutes 36.7 per cent of the registered unemployed in total.

Increase among participants on labour market schemes

The number of immigrants who participated on labour market schemes went up by 1 920 from November 2015 to November 2016, which constituted a growth of 26.6 per cent within this participant group. In total, 37 823 immigrants were registered as unemployed or participants on labour market schemes (i.e. the gross unemployment) in the 4th quarter of 2016. This constitutes a gross unemployment rate of 8.6 per cent among immigrants (as a percentage of the labour force). This rate went slightly down by 0.1 percentage point from 2015 to 2016. The gross unemployment rate within the rest of the population was 2.6 per cent in November 2016. This rate was unchanged since November 2015.

African immigrants still have the highest unemployment rate

There was a decline in the unemployment rate within most of the immigrant groups, but with some variations. Immigrants from the EU countries in the east and from Africa had the strongest fall, 0.9 percentage points within both groups. Immigrants from Asia also had a slight decrease, of 0.6 percentage points.

African immigrants still have the highest unemployment rate, at 10.4 per cent in the 4th quarter, which is due to the large percentage of refugees within this group. Next were immigrants from the EU countries in Eastern Europe at 7.4 per cent. The immigrants from Asia and Latin America had 7.0 per cent each, while those from Eastern Europe outside the EU had 6.1 per cent registered unemployed, which is slightly below the immigrant average. As usual, the remaining groups had rates far below the immigrant average: Western-Europe (4.0 per cent), North America and Oceania (3.7 per cent) and the Nordic countries (2.9 per cent).

Higher unemployment rate among male immigrants

Male immigrants have a slightly higher unemployment rate than female immigrants, 6.6 per cent versus 6.4 per cent in the 4th quarter. The same pattern is observed within the rest of the population, with 2.6 per cent among men and 1.6 per cent among women.

fig-2016-11-16-01-en; Immigrants who are registered unemployed as a percentage of the labour force by county of residence. At the end of November 2016.

Lower unemployment among Norwegian-born to immigrant parents than immigrants

Norwegian-born to immigrant parents is still a rather small group of unemployed persons. This group constituted 1 068 registered unemployed persons in the 4th quarter of 2016. A large share of this group is aged 15-29 years, and the unemployment rate within this age group was 3.7 per cent. Immigrants and the rest of the population at the same age had 6.6 and 2.7 per cent unemployed respectively.

Both Norwegian-born to immigrant parents and the rest of the population aged 15-29 years had a decrease of 0.4 percentage points, while there was a decline of 0.3 percentage points among immigrants.