• Sweden edition

Norwegian employers prefer Swedes: survey

Published: 30 Jul 09 12:14 CET | Double click on a word to get a translation
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/21004/20090730/

Norwegian employers specifically request Swedes when they are looking to employ new staff, according to a slew of Norwegian recruitment agencies.

"Customers ask specifically after Swedish staff," confirmed Gry Ljöterud of Manpower to the Norwegian newspaper Dagsavisen.

"Swedes are particularly popular within the service sector, construction and the health sector," she continues.

Ljöterud's analysis of the standing of Swedes on the Norwegian labour market is shared by sector colleague, Kjell Graarun at Jobzone.

Norway has been a popular destination for Swedes in search of work for several years. Higher unemployment at home, especially among the young, have encouraged many to seek their fortune in Sweden's oil-rich neighbour.

"They are here to work until they drop. They therefore have a different attitude to work. Swedes know how hard it is to find work," Niklas Johansson at the Swedish Association in Oslo said to the Aftonbladet newspaper.

Johansson explained that today the Swedes do all the jobs that the Norwegians no longer want to do.

“We’re the new Poles. Swedish-Poles! We come here to work because we earn low wages at home or can’t find work at all,” Malou Bergman, a 20-year-old Swede seeking work in Norway, told the newspaper.

TT/Peter Vinthagen Simpson (news@thelocal.se)

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15:26 July 30, 2009 by Greg in Canada
At one time Sweden was the wealthiest Scandinavian country and Norway was regarded as the "poor country cousin". Now because of their oil reserves, Norway is wealthier than Sweden.

A Norwegian woman recently told me the "in thing" in Norway nowadays is to have a Swedish chauffeur or maid.
16:23 July 30, 2009 by Eurostan
good article.
16:24 July 30, 2009 by hpunlimited
Because of the oil! Take away the oil and it is back to Cod fishing for the Norweggians.

Swedes are extremely hard working people with good work ethics. They have to be! Because of the gorilla constantly on their backs(the wellfare abusers) 25% work hard, while the other 75% collect government handouts.
17:01 July 30, 2009 by bocale1
"Swedes are extremely hard working people"... I take this as a joke, otherwise it means that I have been unlucky so far (in the last 5 years...)

Let´s see: a couple of fika breaks every day, 30 mins minimum lost, then 1 hr lunch break and people running out from office at 17:00, not one minute more... then 5 or 6 weeks of consecutive summer vacation, several months if not years for parental leave and... maybe something more...

in Singapore they would get crazy in see how much hard working Swedes are (and I put myself in the category, since, sooner or later, you need to comply with local habits!)
18:12 July 30, 2009 by Tennin
I'd hate to see how bad the Norwegian workers are. Is it possible to take more breaks, fikas, holidays than in Sweden!?!
18:17 July 30, 2009 by conboy
I'd answer you but I have to take a fika!
18:52 July 30, 2009 by peropaco
Besides the fika and all, the Swedes have a very good work ethicks. That of course happens only after you peel of the abusing ones that plan their pregnancies back to back to have three or four years of from work ;-)
20:14 July 30, 2009 by slickscott
Well coming from the US I must say that America is one of the worse places to be if you dont want to work hard and its the BEST place to be if you do. We dont have all these holidays that foreigners do and in fact never take our full vacation time alotted to us. It actually must be nice however to sit back and chill while looking for work but have the governement backing you up with monthly living allowance.
20:22 July 30, 2009 by Playmaker
as a electrician i have worked all over stockholm for 3 years now and i could not understand how laid back everyone was. we fika @9 sometimes for a hour, lunch @10 fika @2. in the states i never seen anything like it. i work my azz off with 15min breaks. i wonder how hard they work in norway. bet sweden wishes they would of keep it or at least fought for it. cudos to norway my nato brother.
23:53 July 30, 2009 by Nemesis
Could someone give me the internet address's of employment agencies in Norway?
04:26 July 31, 2009 by Tennessee Thunder
LMFAO,,This has to be some kind of a joke.There is NO hard working Swedes.

I,ve worked here for 10 years now and have hired many people,Brits,Checz,Pol,s,Danes,anyone but a Swede,To say there lazy is an understatement.
09:01 July 31, 2009 by Nemesis
Hi Tennessee,

You can hire me, I am Scotch-Irish. I work hard and need a new job.
10:18 July 31, 2009 by MTTRN
I kind of liked this one "They are here to work until they drop"
10:33 July 31, 2009 by jannestig
Actually Norway has more holidays then sweden for a start, If you live in Malmö you notice even danish bums have moved there because they get more booze. If you want really lazy workers in the Latin countries where 2 hour lunch breaks are the norm
14:47 July 31, 2009 by insect
The Norwegians need to discover other countries other than Sweden. Of course the Swedes work harder than them, but everyone else works harder than the Swedes.

PS: Tenessee Thunder, I also need a job. I work harder than an ant.

I also need that address for the agencies in Norway please nice people.
16:31 July 31, 2009 by ukinsweden
haha I have to agree, never have I seen a more laid back workplace. I have worked and lived in UK, SA, Ireland and now here. The swedes are the laziest people by far. They will not even answer their work mobile if there is a critical issue involving a part of their team. Infact a group were allowed to ALL go on leave at the same time for 6 weeks where I work, and there were serious problems whilst they were off, and no-one could call them haha. In the UK this would never be allowed, and heads would roll. But not in Sweden, sit back relax, fika, take 6 weeks off and have a nice holiday... Oh and work 9 ish to 5, with 2 hours break, 1 hour lunch and the forementioned 2x1 hour fikas :)
18:56 July 31, 2009 by martinheuser
They prefer the Swedes because of the language. Isn't that obvious?!
02:23 August 1, 2009 by red.applonia
Well at least the Swedes completely embraced a great truth and that is life is not all about WORK! Life is worth much more than GOLD.

Swedes understand how much more precious time is as compared to work!

Love Swedish WORK perspective!!! Love the holidays love the fikas!

we are not machines tennesse!
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