Only three percent of Norwegian employers wish to hire job applicants from Southern Europe. Norwegian employers prefer foreign job seekers from the Nordic countries or Eastern Europe to unemployed workers from countries such as Greece and Spain, according to a new study by the Enterprise Federation of Norway (Virke). "Norwegian employers simply don't have much need for the expertise that Southern Europe now has to offer," explains Vibeke Madsen in Virke.

The Federation�s new study of 870 businesses reveals that the Norwegian retail and service industries have a pragmatic outlook on 2012.

Many of those who arrive in Norway have the wrong background or education, and several Norwegian employers choose to rather hire people from Scandinavia or Eastern Europe, Madsen explains in a press release.

Meanwhile, the labour market in Norway is on the rise, and Madsen�s predictions for Norwegian businesses in 2012 are positive. "After going through a turbulent time, it now looks like things have calmed down," she says.

Foreign workers, however, will still face challenges in spite of the increase in jobs. Many employers demand that applicants speak some Norwegian in addition to English, and some are also very specific in terms of the qualifications they are looking for in their employees, according to Madsen.

(norwaypost/NRK)