– We need more people in work and fewer people on social security. Both because it is good for the individual, but also because it is good for us as a society, says Employment and Inclusion Minister Tonje Brenna (Ap) to NTB.
In the proposal for the state budget for 2025, due on Monday, the government increases the allocations for labor market measures by 6.3 per cent, to NOK 11.6 billion.
– It is a very big investment, and it is very operational. Here, all the money actually goes to getting more people into work, says Brenna.
More measures
The extra money in the proposed budget is distributed as follows:
* NOK 500 million more for labor market initiatives to get more people into working life.
* NOK 30 million more for a brand new youth program with compulsory activity and income protection
* NOK 68 million more for Jobbsjansen – more immigrant women in work
* NOK 17 million more for low-threshold services for young people with complex problems.
* NOK 75 million more to Nav to strengthen work-oriented follow-up at Nav offices
New youth program
– Now unemployment is low, and that is good. But it also means that if we use the labor market policy actively, we can manage to get even more people involved, says Brenna.
She is particularly pleased that the government is putting in place the new youth programme, where young people receive a guaranteed income without the same documentation requirements as with social security.
– If you have a temporary mental illness, from which you might be able to get better, I think it is better that you use your energy to get well and get to work, than that you use all your energy to document that you are ill enough to get disability benefits, says Brenna.
– Perhaps that in itself can contribute to improvement in health, because some of the stress escapes, she adds.
More immigrant women in work
The Labor Minister also highlights the strengthening of the “job opportunity” offer for immigrant women.
– There are very good figures on how many people find work after going through that programme, she says.
In 2023, almost 1,300 immigrant women participated in the program. In recent years, more than 70 per cent of the participants have moved on to work or education afterwards.
– I have met some of them, and they tell of a completely different life afterwards, where they suddenly experience becoming much more independent, and much better at Norwegian. The family also gets much better finances, because they have two incomes.
– I think it is difficult for many of us to understand how isolated from society you become, if you neither know the language nor belong to a workplace.
The biggest pot, and the biggest increase, goes to the general labor market measures.
– There is everything from help with writing CVs, to qualification races and wage subsidies. People need slightly different things, says Brenna.
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2024-10-05 18:59:21
