According to data from the Norwegian Statistics Office (SSB), slightly more than half of financial social assistance in Norway goes to people with an immigrant background.
On behalf of Frp, the Norwegian statistical office took a closer look at the development of the use of financial social assistance in Norwegian municipalities in 2009-2019.
The data show that people from immigrant backgrounds, who constitute slightly more than 17% of of the population, in 2019 received 58 percent. all social assistance.
Social assistance is a temporary support program provided to individuals "unable to provide their own means of subsistence." In 2019, approximately NOK 4 billion was spent on social assistance for people with an immigrant background.
Department director Jan Erik Grundtjernlien in Nav points out that Norway settled many refugees in the ten-year period between 2009 and 2019.
- Many immigrants from a refugee background need long-term qualifications to find a job. These are often people who have not obtained the right to benefits under the Social Insurance Act. Therefore, they have to apply for social assistance more often when they need financial support.
According to Norwegian the statistical office 4,5 percent of the population in Norway has a refugee background.
Grundtjernlien also points out that Norwegian labor market places increasingly higher demands on the level of professional competences
Photo: Ørn E. Borgen / NTB