In 2025, 40 percent of refugees went straight into a job after the introduction programme, and 5 percent began studying. That is nearly double the 2020–2022 level. But the figure says as much about who the participants are as about how well the programme works.

Record number of refugees straight into work

In 2025, 12,716 refugees completed the introduction programme – the municipal qualification track of Norwegian-language training, social studies and work training that newly arrived refugees have both the right and the duty to attend. Of them, 40 percent went straight into a job, and 5 percent started education. All told, nearly half moved directly into work or education.

The Directorate of Integration and Diversity (IMDi), which released the figures on 17 June 2026, calls it a shift of pace: "Over the past three years, around 40 percent of refugees have moved directly from the programme into work. That is a sharp increase from the 2020–2022 period, when the share was between 17 and 23 percent." Minister of Labour and Social Inclusion Kjersti Stenseng believes the new requirement of at least 15 hours of work-oriented activity per week is working well, while IMDi Director Libe Rieber-Mohn stresses that a job provides "language skills, stronger finances and a social network."

If you want to know what the programme itself involves, we have a separate guide to the introduction programme. Here we look instead at what the numbers actually mean – and what lies behind the increase.

Two ways of counting – why the figures differ

There are two official measures of how refugees fare, and they give very different percentages:

  • "Straight into work" (IMDi) is measured the moment a participant finishes the programme. This is where the 40 percent figure for 2025 comes from.
  • "In work or education one year later" (SSB) measures status in November of the year after a person left. Here the level has historically been around two in three.

Statistics Norway (SSB), for example, measured 67 percent in work or education among those who finished in 2023 – and a full 58 percent in work, the clearly highest employment level of any exit cohort in the past ten years. The fact that 40 and 58 percent can stand side by side is no contradiction: many who are not in work exactly when they finish are in work a year later. So when you read a headline about refugees and employment, it is worth checking whether the figure refers to the point of completion or one year on.

From 17 to 40 percent: what explains the jump?

Two forces pull in the same direction.

A more work-oriented programme. With the Integration Act, which entered into force on 1 January 2021, the programme became more targeted: its duration is tailored to each person's goal, and its content is more firmly geared towards qualification and work. The most recent measure is the requirement that at least 15 hours per week consist of work-oriented elements – a requirement that, according to IMDi, now applies to all participants.

A completely different group of participants. This is the most important – and most overlooked – explanation. In 2025, 83 percent of participants were Ukrainians, while the rest came from around 80 different countries. Ukrainians with collective protection follow a shorter and more job-oriented track, and many bring higher education and work experience with them. When four in five participants belong to a group that enters work quickly, it lifts the whole average.

The increase is therefore real, but it is partly tied to who takes part, not only how the programme is designed. That is precisely why the comparison with 2020–2022 is difficult: back then Syria was the largest country of origin, and the conditions were entirely different. You can read more about this development in our article on Ukrainians' path from temporary protection to work.

Ukrainians as the explanatory factor

The SSB figures show how much the Ukrainian group matters. Of the 11,800 who finished the programme in 2023, more than seven in ten were Ukrainian, and 62 percent of them were in work one year later. Among Ukrainians who have completed the programme, employment rose further from 54 percent at the end of 2024 to about 58 percent by the end of June 2025. Looking at all Ukrainian refugees of working age – not just programme participants – 45 percent were employed in 2024, clearly higher than for refugees from countries such as Syria, Afghanistan and Eritrea.

At the same time, there is reason for sobriety. Employment does not necessarily mean a full-time position – only about half of the employed Ukrainians worked full-time. And because collective protection is temporary, it remains uncertain how lasting their attachment to working life will be.

Women still enter work later

One pattern recurs year after year: men enter work faster than women. In 2025, 56 percent of men went into work or education, compared with only 38 percent of women – a gap of 18 percentage points.

But the picture is shifting. Among Ukrainians the difference is small: 66 percent of men and 61 percent of women were in work one year after the 2023 cohort. For refugees from Syria, Afghanistan and Eritrea, by contrast, the gap is around 30 percentage points. Women now make up a majority of participants, which is why women's transition into work has become a central political theme. Rieber-Mohn stresses that when mothers enter work, child poverty falls as well. For many women, the route runs through Norwegian-language skills, recognition of qualifications obtained abroad and flexible arrangements – and through knowing your own rights at NAV along the way.

Large geographical differences

Where you are settled matters a great deal. In 2025, the share entering work or education ranged from 27 percent in Agder to 64 percent in Troms. Such differences are linked to the local labour market, which industries are short of workers, and how well each municipality connects participants with employers. A recent evaluation by NIBR, commissioned by KS, found that a network of 42 municipalities gave refugees a 3 – and up to 6 – percentage-point higher chance of a job; we have taken a closer look at what the municipal network did differently. Much of the room for improvement lies precisely here: in close follow-up and work placements.

What is the next test?

From 2026 the rules are tightened further. Participants with upper-secondary education or higher get a shorter programme, while people with collective protection move from a voluntary offer to a full right and duty to attend the introduction programme. The aim is clearer requirements from the start. At the same time, it is worth remembering that today's record figures are measured while a large, resourceful Ukrainian group dominates the statistics. The real test will come the day the composition changes again – then we will see whether the good results are down to the programme itself or to who took part.

What does this mean for you?

If you are a refugee or new to Norway yourself, the figures show that the road to a job has become shorter – but that it still takes effort. Three things are worth noting:

  • Use the programme actively. The work-oriented hours, work placements and Norwegian-language training are what actually pay off in the labour market.
  • Get your education recognised early, and build a Norwegian CV. Many enter relevant work faster once the paperwork is in place; see how to write a Norwegian CV and job application.
  • Know your rights when dealing with NAV and employers, so that your first job becomes a safe start and not a dead end.

Four in ten straight into work is a good number. The real test will be whether the results hold even when the composition of refugees changes again – and whether women and participants from countries other than Ukraine get to share in the same progress.