Employment among immigrants, register-based, 2002, 4th quarter

The number of employed first generation immigrants increased by 4 634 persons from the 4th quarter of 2001 to the 4th quarter of 2002. Despite this increase, the employment rate decreased. This was because of an even stronger increase in the total number of first generation immigrants.

Highest employment rate among Nordic immigrants

Immigrants from the Nordic countries had the highest total employment rate of 72.1 per cent, while African immigrants had the lowest of 43.7 per cent. Among the non-western immigrants, the ones from South- and Central America had the highest employment rate of 59.6 per cent. Immigrants from Asia and Eastern Europe had an employment rate of 50.8 and 56.9 per cent respectively.

In the whole population males and females had an employment rate of 73.5 and 66.5 per cent respectively. Among first generation immigrants the corresponding figures were 62.5 and 52.7 per cent.

Higher employment among Norwegians born by foreign-born immigrants

Statistics Norway now also releases employment figures for Norwegians born by foreign-born parents. This group had a total employment rate of 61.1 per cent, and this is 3.5 percentage points above the level of the parent generation. In absolute numbers, the Norwegian-born counted 6 729 persons and were mostly employees. Only 209 persons were self-employed. The western immigrants (based on the mother's country of birth) had the highest employment rate, 75.0 per cent among the Nordic and 70.2 among the other Western Europeans. But also the group with East European family background had a high employment rate, 69.5 per cent. Persons born in Norway by mothers from Africa and Asia had an employment rate of 56.0 and 55.2 per cent respectively, which is quite higher than their respective parent generations.

Non-western immigrants had a high share of employees in hotels and restaurants.

Non-western immigrants had a much higher share of the employees in cleaning, hotels and restaurants compared to the whole working population. On the national level we find 3 per cent of all employed persons within hotels and restaurant, while the employed non-western immigrants have 13 per cent within this industry. We also find biased proportions within industrial cleaning, 7 per cent among employed non-westerns immigrant versus 1 per cent among employed persons in total.

High rates of self-employed among the western immigrants

8 829 first generation immigrants were registered as self employed in the 4th quarter of 2002, a share of 3.7 per cent of the immigrant population. In the whole population 4.7 per cent were self employed. The Nordic and Western Europeans first generation immigrants had the highest rates of self-employed, with more than 5 per cent. Among the non-western immigrants, the ones from Asia had the highest rate of self employed, 3.5 per cent.

High employment rate among Nordic nationalities - and among some non-western immigrants

When looking at the employment-rate according to some single selected immigrant nationalities, we find employment rates above 70 per cent among first generation immigrants from the Nordic countries (except Denmark) and the Netherlands. But we also find some non-western nationalities with a relative high level of employment. For instance, immigrants from The Philippines and Croatia had an employment-rate of 65 per cent, while the rate for immigrants from Denmark, United Kingdom and Germany was between 66 and 68 per cent. Also immigrants from Chile, Poland, Romania, India and Sri Lanka had a rate of employment above 60 per cent, which places them at the same level as immigrants from western countries such as France and Italy. Immigrants from Afghanistan and Somalia had the lowest rates, 28 and 29 per cent respectively. This low level must however be connected with relative high shares of refugees with short time of residence in Norway compared with other non-western nationalities.