You can apply for jobs in Norway from abroad through arbeidsplassen.no, EURES and NAV, but most residence permits require a concrete job offer and a signed employment contract before you travel.
Where can you look for a job in Norway from abroad?
The most important channel is arbeidsplassen.no, the official job portal run by NAV (the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration). It lists most of the vacant positions in Norway, and many are advertised in English. If you are a citizen of an EU/EEA country or Switzerland, you can also use EURES (European Employment Services), a free cooperation between 31 countries that matches you with Norwegian employers and helps you with your CV, application and information about living and working in Norway. Norwegian EURES advisers can be contacted directly through NAV. LinkedIn is also widely used, especially by employers in IT, technology and international companies. In addition, staffing and recruitment agencies place foreign applicants in jobs, particularly within construction, industry and healthcare — always check that the agency is registered in Norway before you send any personal information. You can set up job alerts on arbeidsplassen.no that email you when a new position matches your search, and register a Europass-CV through the EURES portal, which makes you visible to employers across Europe. On SamfunnPrep you will find a full overview of labour immigration to Norway.
Which industries need workers from abroad?
You will find the most opportunities in occupations with a known shortage of workers. According to NAV's business survey (bedriftsundersøkelse) for 2026, Norwegian businesses are short of more than 34,000 people in total. The largest shortage is in health, care and nursing (around 9,200, including nurses and healthcare workers), followed by industry (around 5,750, including mechanics and welders) and construction (around 4,750, including carpenters and electricians). The IT sector also needs developers and engineers, often with English as the working language. Fisheries and aquaculture (salmon farming) also employ foreign workers along the coast. If you have a foreign trade certificate (fagbrev), bachelor's degree or master's degree, you should check whether your education needs to be approved before you can work in that occupation. Read more about approval of foreign education — for occupations such as nurse, doctor and teacher, approval or authorisation from Norwegian authorities is mandatory, not just an advantage.
How to write a Norwegian CV and job application
A Norwegian CV should be short, fact-based and without a photo or information about marital status and age — this is common practice in Norway, not a legal requirement, but deviating from it can look unprofessional. List your experience in reverse chronological order, with concrete results rather than general descriptions. The cover letter should be short, aimed specifically at the position you are applying for, and show that you have read the job advert carefully. Norwegian employers value independence and direct communication in the interview. It is also common to provide contact details for references, but only once the employer asks for them — not in the first application. SamfunnPrep has its own guide with tips for a Norwegian CV, application and interview and concrete examples you can use.
Are you an EU/EEA citizen or not? That decides your path
The rules are very different depending on your citizenship. If you are a citizen of an EU/EEA country or Switzerland, you can travel to Norway and look for a job without a residence permit — you have the right to stay here while you search, and you must register with the police once you start working. Read more about the registration certificate for EEA citizens. If you are a citizen of a country outside the EU/EEA, you must, as a general rule, have a concrete job offer from a Norwegian employer before you apply for a residence permit from UDI (the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration), and the pay and working conditions must not be worse than what is normal in Norway. There is an exception for skilled workers: if you have a trade certificate (fagbrev) or higher education and can support yourself financially, you can apply for a residence permit as a jobseeker for up to one year without a job offer, in order to look for work while you are in Norway. As of July 2026, the requirement is an income or savings of at least 341,373 kroner per year (UDI).
Do you need to speak Norwegian to get a job?
There is no general language requirement for working in Norway, but it varies a great deal between industries. In IT, research, oil/gas and many international companies, English is enough for daily work. In the health sector, schools, kindergartens and the public sector, good Norwegian is usually required, since the job involves direct contact with patients, children or residents. Even where English is enough at work, knowing Norwegian makes it far easier to get a permanent position, build a network and understand your employment contract. Practising Norwegian and social studies before you travel to Norway is an advantage no matter which industry you are applying to.
How to avoid fake job offers
Job scams targeting foreign applicants are real, and EURES warns against this pattern every year. Be sceptical if you receive a job offer without an interview, the salary seems unrealistically high, or the employer asks you to pay a fee for a visa, housing or training before you have received a contract. Never send money, account numbers or a copy of your passport to an employer you have not verified. Also be careful if you are asked to receive or forward money through your own bank account — this is a known scam pattern. Check that the company is real by looking it up in Brønnøysundregistrene and on arbeidsplassen.no, and be cautious of offers that only arrive by email or social media without an official company name.
Get an employment contract before you travel to Norway
A written job offer is not the same as an employment contract. Before you travel, you should ask for a signed employment contract stating salary, position percentage, working hours and notice period. The Working Environment Act (Arbeidsmiljøloven) requires the contract to include, among other things, the place of work, job title, salary, working hours and any probationary period — this is required by law in Norway and gives you rights from day one. The contract is also documentation you need for your residence permit application, and to apply for a tax deduction card (skattekort) from Skatteetaten once you have arrived in Norway. Read more about what a valid employment contract in Norway should contain, so you know what to require. You need a Norwegian d-number or national identity number (fødselsnummer) to get a tax deduction card — your employer can apply for this on your behalf.
Ready to practise social studies before you move? Try SamfunnPrep for free and learn the curriculum you need for the test and for life in Norway.
