The Storting has adopted new rules for hiring from staffing companies. The aim is for temporary agency employees to a greater extent to be directly employed in the production companies. The measures will not lead to any less need for labour, but will have an impact on how the businesses link their labour. Even Hagelien, who represents the staffing industry in NHO Service og Handel, calls the new hiring rules an experiment in working life. I strongly disagree with that. I would rather call it a working life lift. The Institute for Social Research has written several reports on employees in staffing agencies. They are based on information about wages and working conditions for everyone in Norwegian working life. One of their findings is that the hourly wages for employees in staffing companies are lower than for those who have permanent employment in the business where the work is done. It is not true that the alternative for most people is a 100 percent position in a staffing agency. Many are employed at a low vacancy rate. It is common to be employed by the staffing agency for part of the year. On average, employees in staffing agencies have six months a year without pay. Employees who are hired from staffing agencies score lower than those who are permanently employed in the company when it comes to job satisfaction and facing positive challenges in the work. This is shown by surveys carried out into the working environment, organization and participation in the workplace. The proportion that is unionized is considerably lower. Surveys from the Norwegian Labor Inspection Authority and the Petroleum Safety Authority show that workers who are hired from staffing agencies have a greater risk of being exposed to injuries and accidents. In addition, they are followed up worse when it comes to the working environment and safety. This is not a working life we want. That the staffing agencies are concerned on their own behalf is their own business. The government’s aim is to contribute to lasting improvements in the labor market for the employees this applies to. Our policy is to counteract the differences that exist today. The new rules do not entail a general ban on hiring from staffing companies (except for buildings in Oslo, Viken and formerly Vestfold). As a general rule, it will still be possible to hire from staffing companies for temporary workers. The same applies to businesses that have a collective agreement at a high level, where hiring is agreed with the union representatives. But a sharp tightening of the use of lettings is necessary to reverse a negative trend, particularly in the construction industry. With fixed seasonal variations, you often know in good time when there is a need for increased labour, for example for the tourist season, winter fishing or the apple harvest. There will then be time for the businesses to both plan and advertise the necessary positions for direct employment. The purpose of the adopted legislative changes is to contribute to a safer working life, where more people have fixed and predictable working conditions. Increased provision for permanent employment can strengthen employees’ opportunities to achieve a lasting connection to working life. The changes will lead to restructuring for the businesses, but also give them a starting point for increased recruitment, competence and productivity based on their own employees. The business must invest in its employees so that they feel valued. It is better for everyone, and gives us a society that is more productive and more competitive. In the longer term, the aim is to strengthen the recruitment of skilled workers through the apprenticeship scheme and make it more attractive for apprenticeship companies. This is also in accordance with the wishes of the parties in working life themselves. The government wants a different working life than the staffing agencies want. Our goal is that in Norwegian working life, regardless of industry and industry, there should be mainly permanent employment directly in the businesses that will have the work carried out. We want safe and predictable working conditions. In order to achieve that, a tightening of the tenancy rules is necessary. Follow the debate:
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A working life boost, not an experiment – Statement
