Welcome to Vest-Viken
Welcome to Vest-Viken, which consists of Buskerud county and the municipalities of Jevnaker, Asker and Bærum (west of Oslo), where the job opportunities are numerous.
The labour market in Vest-Viken
The unemployment rate is very low and keeps stable at around 2 percent. At the same time, the demand for workers is quite high in various sectors. The demand is particularly high for workers with vocational/professional education and training.
Most jobs are to be found in these sectors:
Health care
Health care (all positions); General nurses and specialized nurses (theatre nurses, intensive care nurses…); doctor specialists (mental health, oncology, neurology, rheumatology, internal medicine, radiology, GP…); pharmacists; optometrists
Tourism and hospitality
Tourism and hospitality (all positions); Cooks and chefs; waiters/waitresses/bartenders; hotel workers; both permanent staff and seasonal staff (summer and winter); seasonal staff: nature guides; river & rafting guides; ski instructors; ski resort workers
Transport
Transport; most in demand are Bus drivers D/DE and truck drivers C/CE – with Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC)
ICT
ICT (all positions), professionals within digital communication; information security and computer security; data analysis; AI; machine learning; service design and software development/ system development
Mechanics
Mechanics; Car mechanics; heavy vehicle mechanics; construction engines mechanics; machine mechanics
Industry
Industry (all positions), el-power and electronics; mechanics; welders and sheet metal workers; Engineers: electrical; mechanical; automation and instrumentation.
Construction and civil works
Construction and civil works (all positions) Skilled/professional Electricians; carpenters; plumbers; drivers of construction engines and cranes; service and maintenance technicians; welders / sheet metal workers; Engineers.
Personal services
Personal services; Hairdressers & barbers, beauty & wellness workers
Business and trades in Vest-Viken
While the most important business trades in Vest-Viken are commerce and building & civil works, there are regional characteristics.
The Asker and Bærum region: ICT; knowledge services, especially consulting and advisory services, including in the oil & gas, electronics and construction industries; energy and renewables. Some of the country’s largest international companies have their headquarter in Asker or Bærum (Aker Solutions, Telenor, Wilh. Wilhemsen Holding ASA, DNV Det Norske Veritas, IKEA and many more)
Drammen and the Drammen region: very diversified businesses such as ICT; Health industry/e-health; technology; commerce & services, building & civil works; finance; healthcare
The Hallingdal region: tourism and hospitality; situated half-way between Oslo and Bergen, the mountainous Hallingdal is the touristic pole of Vest-Viken. Other important trades: building & civil works, commerce & services and supply industry.
Kongsberg - Norway's leading technology city houses several large international technology companies such as Kongsberg Gruppen (Kongsberg Maritime, Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace, Kongsberg Discovery, Kongsberg Digital), TechnipFMC, Kongsberg Automotive ASA, GKN Aerospace, and more.
The Ringeriksregionen:; building & civil works; commerce and services; industry; knowledge-based and technology businesses; tourism & hospitality (Krødsherad); healthcare.
The Hadeland region: commerce and service, building & civil works and healthcare.
Several energy and technology companies in Vest-Viken are members of Energy Valley, the competence and technology cluster for the Norwegian energy industry.
Check out Oslopolitan, for global talents who think of moving to the greater Oslo region.
How to look and apply for jobs
Find detailed information about how to look and apply for jobs in Looking for work in Norway.
Social security and membership in the National Insurance Scheme
Following the coordination of social security systems in Europe, as a basic rule, you are subject to the legislation of the country where you actually work as an employed or a self-employed person.
If you are a citizen of an EU/EEA-country or Switzerland, and come to work in Norway, you automatically become a member of the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme from your first day of work. The social security and Membership of the National Insurance Scheme is administrated by Nav, the Norwegian Labour and Welfare administration. You pay your social security contribution through paying income tax, both are deducted by your employer from your gross salary/income. The social security contribution is 7,7 percent of your gross salary/income (2025).
Formalities when moving to Norway for work
When moving to Norway for work, you have rights and duties/formalities to comply with: residency, national ID number and taxation. They are described in Looking for work in Norway.
For more information, please contact us: nav.eures.vest-viken@nav.no
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