Oslo (Bureau Report)
It was mentioned in a report compiled by NAV, the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Authority that half of the people who receive social help from the government are the people of foreign origin.
The Norwegian minister for labour and Social Affairs, Anniken Hauglie termed the situation alarming
The report said, the number of receivers of the social assistance have been increased in the recent years and today around 67,000 people with immigrant background receive social assistance in Norway.
Minister of Labour and Social Affairs Anniken Hauglie describes the numbers as “alarming”, saying that at worst, immigrants and refugees become “their own subclass in Norwegian society.”
“More people from the immigrants should work in order to reduce the possible poverty in Norway. Therefore, the government prioritises are to improve skill, qualification and increased employment in the introductory program and Norwegian education. Without language it is difficult to get fit in the Norwegian labour market, “says Hauglie to the Norwegian media.
17.5 percent of all children in Oslo live in households with sustained low income, and people with immigrant background account for 43 per cent of all the poor.
“It’s not going to be right. The share of low income increases over time, while we see that income differentials increase and the rich gets richer, says knowledge director Yngvar Åsholt in NAV to a Norwegian magazine.
The immigrants accounted for 13.8 per cent of the total five million population in Norway as per 1 January 2017, while Norwegian-born to immigrant parents accounted for 3 per cent. These two groups have a background from 221 different countries and independent regions.
