Norwegian Labour and Welfare Service - StatRes (discontinued), 2012

NAV increased the working budget by 8 per cent in 2012, to NOK 10.8 billion. The number of contracted man-years adjusted for long-term leave was 11 919 man-years in 2012. This is approximately the same level as in 2011. A total of 760 025 persons received an old age pension in 2012, while the number in 2011 was 718 670. This is an increase of 5.8 per cent; which is a smaller increase than in 2011. Old age pension made up almost 40 per cent of the total expenditure by the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration on the population in 2012.

Old age and disability

The increase in pension expenditures constitutes barely 2 percentage points from 2011 to 2012. Old age pension is a right that is accrued and which is affected by how the pension system is modelled, as well as the number of people who are making use of the rights they have accrued.

Old age pension expenditure in 2012 was NOK 150 billion; an increase of NOK 15 billion from 2011, which corresponds to an increase of more than 11 per cent.

There was a 1 per cent increase in the number of recipients of disability pension in Norway in 2012. A total of 309 887 persons received this pension in 2012. NOK 60.1 billion was paid due to disability. This makes up almost 16 per cent of the total expenditure by the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration.

Children benefits

In the period from 2006 to 2012, a decreasing number have received child support payments. Where a parent does not live with a child, the parent has an obligation to pay child support payments. In 2006, 109 167 persons received child support payments, while in 2012 the corresponding figure was 85 180. This is a decrease of almost 22 per cent in this period.

There was a strong decrease in the number of recipients of cash-for-care benefits; only 15 785 persons received this in 2012, and in 2011 30 140 persons received this benefit. This is a decrease of more than

47 per cent and is due to a number of changes in the Cash Benefit Act. A major change from 1 August 2012 was that cash-for-care benefits were repealed for 2-year-olds (nav.no).

Child benefit is a national insurance benefit that is paid to all persons with children under 18 years. In 2012, there were 660 786 recipients of child benefit. The corresponding figure in 2011 was 651 942.

In the period from 2006 onwards, the number increased from 620 344 recipients, which is an increase of 6.5 per cent from 2006 to 2012.

Public spending from 2008 to 2012

The figure shows the development in the public spending that the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration (NAV) paid out in the period from 2008 to 2012 in connection with old age, absenteeism (sickness benefit, disability, vocational rehabilitation allowance, work assessment allowance and rehabilitation allowance), unemployment, children, medical assistance and others (other social security and benefit schemes). It is particularly expenditures in connection with old age and absenteeism that make up the largest share of the expenditure by the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration on the population, and this increased in the period from 2008 to 2012.