WORKING ON THE

NORWEGIAN SHIPYARD
INDUSTRY

(Updated April 2013)

About the industry

Norwegian Shipyards direct their business activities towards four main markets: offshore
vessels, advanced fishing vessels, passenger/car ferries and specialised coastal vessels.
All together there are 75 yards which are focusing on new building and ships repair. There are
approx. 25 pure new building yards, a number which has been almost stable the last decade.
One shipyard, however, is operating very well both in new building and ships repair, even
though there are two different ways to operate as to disciplines.
During the last 10 years three groups of shipyards have been established: STX OSV (Aker
Yards), Bergen Group and HavYard Group. The number of operating shipyards within these
groups remains the same as before. The big scale down of yards in Norway was in the 1975
and 1990.
Even if we consider some of our shipyards as large, they are categorised as medium or small
shipyards compared to European standards.
The high wage levels in Norwegian industry force the ship yards to compete on the
construction and delivery of advanced vessels for offshore or specialised trades.
The global demand for new ships has gained after the financial crisis in 2008 which put the
contracting on halt. Norwegian shipyards have improved on new orders, and have an order
book in the beginning of 2013 which has remained nearly the same over the last 2 3 years.
A horizon of 1 - 2 years is normal.
Norwegian yards build specialist ships with a high level of expertise. The hulls are built in
low cost countries, often in shipyards where the Norwegian yards have interests. Despite the
fact that the official subsidy is taken away, the hulls are more complete than ever when
arriving at the Norwegian yard. This means that the workforce often has a high level of
competence. Shipbuilding is vital to many local communities along the Norwegian coast and
in many instances, the shipyards are cornerstone companies.
What is the demand for workers in the Shipyard industry?

After a large decline of employees in the mid seventies, the employment level in the
Norwegian shipbuilding industry has been very stable ever since. Today, the Norwegian
shipbuilding industry, including the equipment industry, employs directly approximately
20.000 people. The shipyards employ 5.000 persons. The short time employees, hired labour,
have been about 3.500 in the shipyards. The maritime industry however, including shipyards,
ship owners, equipment industry and services employs approximately 90.000 persons.
Norwegian maritime industry is an innovative sector much based on human resources and
competence.
The serious situation with lack of orders in the period 2001 2004 forced the yards to alter
their production and number of employees. After that, the number of employees has levelled
back to focus on core skills and outsourcing. Today it is common for hulls to be built in low
cost countries and towed back to the shipyard in Norway. Romania, Poland, Baltic countries
or Ukraine are good examples. The Norwegian yards have even bought shipyard facilities in
third countries as the above mentioned together with Brazil and Vietnam. The division of
work indicates that to a far greater extent than before, Norwegian yards are specialising on the
more complex aspects of shipbuilding where technical skills and expertise are in demand.
To a very large degree, shipyards in Norway have made use of migrant labour from EU/EEA
particularly the new EU member countries. Much of this has been on a short-term
basis/hiring through Norwegian and foreign recruitment agencies. Many of the foreign
workers, who are permanently employed, started out as contract workers.
Due to the state of the market there is currently a rather small need for recruitment within the
Norwegian shipyard industry. Some hiring occurs, however, especially of engineers, but also
of skilled labour as for instance plumbers, ship electricians, sheet metal workers.

How to find a job within the shipyard industry?

For vacancies you may look up the Norwegian Employment and Welfare Service homepage
(www.nav.no ,-only in Norwegian).
Choose Ledige stillinger
Select the Kategori" " Industri, bygg/anlegg, hndverk og verkstedsarbeid and then
select region(s).
Enter relevant key words ("sveiser, verft" etc.) in the text box below.

For access to vacancies via telephone, call NAV Service Centre: (+47) 800 33 166. Opening
hours: 08.00 - 15.30. The same vacancies are to be found at the EURES mobility portal.
Not all employers advertise their jobs so it is a good idea to get in direct contact with potential
employers. You will find information about websites and addresses in Yellow Pages via the
web or the telephone directory.
General information about working and living in Norway is available on
www.nav.no/englisheures.

Language, education and training requirements

Language skills are important. Based on safety issues you need to understand Norwegian
Language in the Norwegian ship building industry.
To apply for a job in Norway, you MUST have a CV in English or in a Scandinavian
language. You should have most of your documents translated into English. If you are looking
for a skilled job in Norway, you should have a certificate of competence or qualification
certificates showing that you have passed the courses required. These should be in English.
Norwegian employers always ask for documentation/certificates that provide evidence of
competence and qualifications

Wages and Taxes

Traditionally there have been differences between the wages of contract workers and those
permanently employed.
To remedy this one has decided to standardize the wage rate within the shipbuilding and
offshore sector. Thus, a minimum wage rate of NOK 148,29 per hour for skilled workers and
NOK 141,53 per hour for non-skilled workers with experience and knowledge has been
introduced for the industry. For non-skilled workers in general the minimum rate per hour is
NOK 134,85.. Special rates apply for overtime work and work on holydays.
Many yards offer workers housing/temporary accommodation and subsistence with this being
deducted from wage packets. For foreign workers particularly, this is a normal arrangement.
When you work for a Norwegian employer, you are required to pay tax in Norway. If you
reside in Norway for less than six months, special tax rules apply. Bring your employment
contract and passport to the nearest tax office (skattekontor) and apply for a tax card
(skattekort). If you start working without a tax card, the employer will deduct 50% tax.
Otherwise the tax usually amounts to around 1/3 of your pay. See the Norwegian Tax
Authority (www.taxnorway.no) for more information.

Important things to consider

There is a very strong focus on safety in the shipyard industry in Norway. The yards are
regulated by very strict Norwegian legislation in this field and are subject to frequent
inspections .It is therefore extremely important that the safety instructions given are respected.
HSE courses will be given and HSE information is handed out to everybody working in the
yard vicinity. If one breaks the safety rules, this will be sufficient grounds for dismissal. You
will find information about terms of employment at the Labour Inspectorate and also safety
requirements for places of work in Norway.

Umbrella organisations

www.nssm.no (Norwegian shipbuilders)

www.norskindustri.no (Federeation of Norwegian Industries)
www.lo.no (The Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions)
www.ncemaritime.no (Norwegian Centre of Expertise, Maritime)

Various shipyards: (a selection)

www.havyard.no
www.stxosv.com
www.um.no
www.ulsteingroup.com
www.klevenmaritime.no
www.bergengroup.no
www.batservice.no
www.fiskerstrand.no For more yard addresses, you can search Yellow Pages or
www.1881.no Search word: skipsverft, shipbuilders and yards.

Related information

www.atil.no (Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority))

www.udi.no (Norwegian Directorate of Immigration)