– It can be tiring sometimes. Sometimes I think: Ah, summer job. Can not bear. Would rather have a summer holiday. While his schoolmates sleep long and travel in the cabin and abroad, Adil Suleiman (16) washes the floors and wipes dust at the Thon Hotel Opera. It is his third year with a summer job. And even though he has to get up early and swing the mop, he is very pleased to have got a job. Adil has had a part-time job for the past three summers. Photo: Ksenia Novikova To his friends, who at the end of the holiday will complain about a boring summer and ask what he has done, he has a clear answer: – I answer: “I had a summer job. I’ve received a salary and lots of experience, upgraded my CV, and it’s been great,” he smiles. More young people work part-time Adil is not the only one to give up weeks of school holidays for a summer job. He represents a general trend over the last three years. Figures from Statistics Norway show that the proportion of teenagers with work experience decreased from the end of the 1990s until 2020. In 2019, only four out of ten teenagers worked during the summer holidays. But then the trend reversed. In 2022, more than seven out of ten young people had a summer job. In 2023, the number will remain as high, recent figures show. Ahmed Alabodi (18) is one of many young people who have had a summer job in recent years. Photo: Ksenia Novikova After the pandemic in 2020, unemployment has been low in Norway, and companies have struggled to get hold of enough people. This has made it favorable for young people to get a job, according to Statistics Norway adviser Rakel Gading. Earning well The sharp increase in summer jobs applies especially to the youngest between 15 and 19 years of age. For these, there may be more to gain from taking a summer job than working full-time. Statistics Norway writes that the average salary of the youngest is higher for those with a temporary than with a permanent job. – That the salary is higher for those with temporary jobs is a pattern we rarely find again in some other age groups. Adil is also satisfied with the salary: – The first time I got a summer job, it was very unusual. I thought “so much money?”. It made me very happy. I couldn’t have asked for anything better, he says. Oslo municipality aims to get more young people into work. From left Adil Suleiman, Julianne Ferskaug (L) in Oslo City Council, general manager of Bjørvikaforeningen Ida Gravdal Haldorsen and general manager of Thon Hotel Opera Marte Sæther. Bets on young people in work Oslo is betting on getting more young people into part-time jobs. NOK 62 million has been set aside to recruit young people for work in various companies. The salary is fully or partially covered by the municipality. The number of part-time jobs managed by the districts has almost quadrupled since the scheme came into place in 2018. And it’s not about willingness to work. There are still twice as many applicants as there are jobs. – We want more of the companies to help pay some of the wages for the young people. That’s what Julianne Ferskaug (V), city councilor for social services in Oslo, says. In this way, the money can be enough for even more people to get a summer job, she says. Ferskhaug says it is clear that Oslo youth want to work. – Offering young people a job is extremely important both for young people and for business. Labor and Inclusion Minister Tonje Brenna (Ap) wants more municipalities to give young people a chance. – The municipality has tasks that need to be solved, and we have young people all over the country who want to work. If the municipalities get hold of the young people and find out which tasks they can contribute with, I am absolutely sure that it is a win-win, both for the municipality and for the individual. A way in For some, a summer job can lead to more than a few weeks of paid work. The general manager at Thon Hotell Opera, Marte Sæther, confirms this: – We had the same project last year, which resulted in one getting a job after it. Ahmed Alabodi works at the reception at the Thon Hotel and, among other things, ensures that the guests can check in and check out their luggage. Photo: Ksenia Novikova In the luggage room at the hotel, Ahmed Alabodi (18) makes sure that the guests get the right suitcase home. – What is the best thing about having a summer job? – At the start, it was about making my own money. I got the feeling of being independent for the first time. I gained higher self-esteem and I just felt a lot better. Published 12.07.2024, at 16.55 Updated 12.07.2024, at 17.25
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The number of young people with summer jobs has increased in the last three years – news Norway – Overview of news from various parts of the country
