Refugees need housing and are ready for working life

Posted On: July 25, 2023

In June, I met Olga Pavlova (on the left in the photo), who arrived in Norway a year ago. Thanks to the Refugee Service and Nav in Bærum, she got a permanent job, writes Lisbeth Fransplass Røren (right). Photo: Anbjørg Bakken, Inclusion and Diversity Department (IMDi)

Many refugees have skills that Norwegian working life needs.

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The number of Ukrainian refugees arriving in Norway is increasing. Municipalities must respond before August 31 The request from the Integration and Diversity Department (IMDi) resettle 38,000 refugees during the year. While many people are on vacation, there is a lot of activity in the reception centers for refugees and in the services of the municipalities that work with housing, qualification and employment.

So far this year, nearly 16,000 refugees have settled. in 2024, we will mainly welcome refugees from Ukraine, but there will also be refugees and asylum seekers from other countries who need a safe place to live and a future to plan for.

Among the settled Ukrainian refugees, approximately 26,000 are between the ages of 18 and 66. watch at the same time Nav’s Business Investigation that Norwegian companies are short of nearly 53,000 workers. Many refugees have skills that Norwegian working life needs:

In June, I met Olga Pavlova, who arrived in Norway a year ago. Before the war broke out, she worked as a ship’s crew in her hometown of Odessa in Ukraine. Through the Refugee Service and Nav in Bærum, she secured permanent employment with Wilhelmsen Ship Management in Lysaker. Here she works with the coordination of the crew on the ships. The expertise of the country of origin is valuable.

We must plan and organize both for the peace, we hope, to come quickly, and for the war to last a long time.

Working with integration in uncertain times is demanding for municipalities and the individual refugee. We must plan and organize both for the peace, we hope, to come quickly, and for the war to last a long time. Several municipalities report difficulties in providing enough housing and capacity problems in health services, schools and kindergartens. At the same time, they are creative: rest homes, boarding schools and disused community buildings are converted into housing. Individuals can contribute by renting unused houses and apartments. I am happy that we still see a great will and a great capacity for the settlement of refugees.