Norway’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose to 5.0% in September 2026, up from 4.6% in August, reaching its highest level since June 2025. The number of unemployed increased to 156,000, a fifteen‑month high, compared with 141,000 in the previous month. Youth unemployment (ages 15 to 24) also climbed, to 16.7% from 14.2%.
By contrast, the employment rate held steady at 69.8% in September, while the number of employed edged up to 2.930 million from 2.925 million. The labor force participation rate rose to 73.5%, from 73.1% a month earlier, as the labor force expanded by 21,000 to 3.086 million.
Total man‑weeks worked, adjusted to a 37.5‑hour workweek, declined to 2.187 million from 2.239 million in the previous period. Compared with September of the previous year, the unemployment rate was 0.3 percentage points lower, at 4.7%.
