Decline in unemployment for immigrants

The registered unemployment for first generation immigrants declined from 9.8 percent in May last year to 7.1 percent in May this year. By comparison unemployment for the whole population decreased from 3.2 to 2.2 percent. The biggest drop in the unemployment rate was registered for immigrants from Eastern Europe and Africa.

At the end of May this year 8,128 first generation immigrants were registered as unemployed. This amounts to a decline of 2,301 people from the same quarter a year ago. Registered unemployment dropped for all of the immigrant groups and particularly for non-western immigrants. The biggest declines in the unemployment rate were 5.4 percent for immigrants from Eastern Europe and 4.8 percent for immigrants from Africa, but these were the groups that previously had the highest unemployment rates. These statistics cover first generation immigrants.

Every fourth person in schemes is an immigrant

The number of immigrants in ordinary labour market schemes declined by 1,059 persons from May 1997 to May this year. There was a decline for all immigrant groups. The biggest declines were for immigrants from Eastern Europe, Africa and Asia. In May this year 27 percent of the persons in ordinary labour market schemes were immigrants compared with 23 percent in May last year.

Biggest decline for men from Eastern Europe and Africa

A total of 7.4 percent of the male immigrants in the labour force were registered unemployed at the end of May this year compared with 10.6 percent last year. For men in general the unemployment rate declined in the same period from 3.2 to 2.2 percent. The biggest declines in the unemployment rate were for male immigrants from Eastern Europe at 5.7 percent and male immigrants from Africa at 5.5 percent. For female immigrants the unemployment rate went down from 8.9 in May 1997 to 6.7 in May this year. By comparison the unemployment rate for all women declined from 3.2 in May 1997 to 2.3 in May this year. The decline in the unemployment rate was greatest for female immigrants from Eastern Europe, amounting to 5.1 percent.

New Statistics
Unemployment among immigrants, 2nd quarter 1998.
The statistics are published quarterly in the Weekly Bulletin of Statistics. For more information and e-mail contact: jorn.ivar.hamre@ssb.no, tel. +47 21 09 49 29 or kari.kraakenes@ssb.no, tel. +47 21 09 47 86. Tables can be found in the Statistical Annex on pages 16-20.

Weekly Bulletin issue no. 39, 1998