Highest Paying Jobs in Norway in 2023
The unemployment rate in Norway is as low as 3.2% as of August 2022, meaning that finding a job in this country is pretty easy. However, landing a well-paying job can be tricky, especially for an expat without any knowledge of the job market.
The highest-paying jobs in Norway in 2023 include:
- Ship brokers
- Managers in oil and gas extraction
- Insurance and banking managers
- Air controllers
- Pilots
- Doctors
- Surgeons
- Business lawyers
There is no fixed minimum salary in Norway, but the country ensures that all skilled workers earn a decent wage. Minimal pay depends on the industry, where a construction worker gets 230 NOK (23,41 USD) per hour and a cleaning lady 204,54 NOK (20,82 USD). Therefore, the minimum salary in Norway is already pretty high compared to internationally.
Let’s have a look at how much people working high-paying jobs are getting paid. Read on as we dissect the most paying jobs in Norway. We’ve taken the time to break down those that require degrees and those that don’t to increase your chances of finding one that suits you.
Also read: What is a good salary in Norway?
What jobs are best paid in Norway?
Norway is popular for its ridiculously high salaries. The average monthly salary for all full-time employment stands at an impressive 48,750 NOK (4,962 USD), according to Statistics Norway.
The main taxes in Norway include the VAT and consumption and services deductibles. The good thing is at least the taxes cover important welfare benefits like home ownership, free education, and healthcare.
Below are descriptions of jobs paying way above this average amount.
Ship Brokers
Norwegian ship brokers buy and sell ships both inside the country and internationally. They make an average of about 124,000 NOK (12,622 USD) monthly, which adds up to about fifteen million yearly.
Different cities have varying ship broker salaries. Besides, gender also plays a role, so male trade and ship brokers earn an average of 132,030 NOK a month, while women get only 62,640 NOK. Well, probably, men have better negotiation skills.
The salaries also vary in terms of years of experience. An entry-level employee with no experience can expect about 400,000 – 500,000 NOK per year. A senior-level broker with more than eight years of experience gets above 1,5 mil NOK.
Most of the Norwegian ship brokers are graduates, followed by those with masters. A total of twelve percent are associates, while those with a high school education take about twelve percent too.
Director in Oil and Gas Extraction
Norway is the largest oil and gas producer in Western Europe. For this reason, Norwegian oil workers are the most paid in the entire world. The base salary for these services is about 691,000 NOK (70,337 USD) yearly. A director in oil and gas extraction gets 108,490 NOK (11,043 USD) monthly.
All employees in the oil and gas field work for twelve hours daily. Working is in rotation, meaning you’ll have several off days in a row.
Work in this profession is divided into three phases; maintenance, marine, and drilling. Each phase requires varying qualifications.
You can quickly get a job at Equinor, Norway’s largest oil and gas company. The government is the company’s highest shareholder, and it requires about twenty thousand workers at a time.
AkerBP and Aker Solutions are also good employers in this field.
Learn about jobs that are in high demand in Norway.
Insurance and Banking Director
Directors in the insurance and banking sector create plans and budgets for cooperating organizations and lay down guidelines. A full-time employee gets about 99,810 NOK (10,159 USD) monthly. This sums up to 1.2 mil NOK yearly.
Air Traffic Controllers
The air industry is another well-paying field in Norway. Air traffic controllers get about 1,155,774 NOK (117,646 USD), which equates to 96,314 NOK monthly or 601 NOK (61 USD) hourly.
Most of the employees in this sector also get bonuses of about 43,343 NOK, which is impressive considering all they do is manage traffic congestion.
Working experience is a critical determinant in air controller salaries. An entry-level air traffic controller with one to three years of experience earns a basic salary of 803,066 NOK (81,744 USD). A senior-level employee with more than eight years gets 1,437,995 NOK.
Air traffic controllers could either work at the airports overlooking the runways or at the en-route centers. Various organizations like Eurocontrol offer air control training required to qualify for work.
Pilots
Pilots in Norway get an average monthly salary of 93,870 NOK (9,555 USD). However, salaries in this field vary greatly based on gender, location, or skills. The lowest pay for a pilot is about 481,000 NOK, while the highest can be 1,660,000 NOK.
The good thing is all salaries include transport, housing, and other welfare benefits, allowing employees in this sector to save a considerable percentage of their total wages.
Pilot salaries also vary based on the year of experience. Below is a table showing the difference in wages. ‘
Educational background is another critical determinant in the possible salary. Employees with certificates or diplomas get a maximum salary of about 623,000 NOK, while those with bachelor’s degrees earn approximately 977,000 NOK.
A master’s degree guarantees one a minimum of 1,640,000 NOK monthly.
Doctors
Physicians or doctors in Norway get an average yearly salary of 3,430,000 NOK (349,141 USD). All salaries in this field range between 1,550,000 NOK and 5,880,000 NOK. Salaries are inclusive of housing, transport, and several other benefits.
Doctors with two to five years of experience get approximately 32% more than fresh graduates and other juniors in the industry. Professionals and other seniors with more than eight years of experience get 36% more than those with five or fewer years in the industry.
Surgeons
Surgeons in Oslo, Norway, get a monthly salary of about 3,000,000 NOK in the private sector. And it can be just enough to find a place to stay in Oslo. Those in the public sector are paid between 950,000 NOK and 1,500,000 NOK (96,700 – 152,685 USD). The salary ranges from one position to another, but all employees work forty to sixty hours weekly.
However, due to this country’s terrific tax system, about fifty percent of the salary goes to the tax man. Although highly decorated, being a surgeon isn’t the highest-paying job in Norway.
Business Lawyers
An average salary of a lawyer in Norway ranges between 800,000 NOK and 1.09 million NOK (101,882 USD). Yet, business lawyers can earn significantly more. Top professionals in the field charge as much as 6,250 NOK (636 USD) per hour.
Some unique lawyers make between 15 and 20 mil NOK (1,526,857 USD) yearly, which is outrageously high compared to renowned business CEOs like DNB’s Rune Bjerke and Equinor’s Helge Lund. Whatsmore, salaries in this field are constantly rising as the demand surpasses the supply.
Norwegian lawyers advise their cooperate clients, collect evidence, interview clients, and represent and advise adequately.
Highest paying jobs in Norway with a degree
The highest-paying jobs in Norway with a degree include engineering, economics, and business analytics. Most of the graduates in these fields get jobs in oil companies all over Norway and consultancies.
Engineering
A typical average engineering salary is 579,100 NOK (58,946 USD). It ranges from a minimum of about 268,200 NOK and a maximum of 923,100 NOK. Salaries include housing and transport benefits. They also vary according to gender, skills, location, and experience.
Professionals with more than twenty years of experience get a minimum of 861,900 NOK.
Civil engineers are the highest in demand in this field, as the construction industry is worth more than a hundred billion and is ever-growing.
The likelihood of landing a mechanical engineering job is also high, considering you have a tight hold of the local language. Mechanical engineering is a pretty hands-on job, meaning there’s a lit of interpersonal communication when working.
Economics
Economists in Norway make a monthly salary of about 998,523 NOK (101,640 USD). This is approximately 480 NOK hourly. Professionals with more than eight years of experience can make up to 1,243,361 NOK, while those with less than three years get a maximum of 691,772 NOK.
Business Analytics
Business analysts get at least 663,337 NOK (67,521 USD) per year. Employees in this profession also get additional pay, including commission tips, profit sharing, and cash bonuses.
The Norway corporate is in constant need of business analysts. Tietovery, DNB, Cognizant Technology Solutions, Kearney, Equinor, Cognite, and Accenture are the top employers in this sector, with constant job openings.
Orthodontists
Orthodontists’ salaries range between 804,000 NOK and 2,780,000 NOK. The average salary received by most professionals is about 1,890,000 NOK (192,384 USD).
Due to the high demand in this field, understanding Norwegian isn’t mandatory. All that’s expected is your bachelor’s degree or master’s, accompanied by persistence and hard work.
Nursing
Nursing is another well-paying job with extremely high demand in Norway. The salaries in this field range between 211,000 NOK and 729,000 NOK (74,205 USD) yearly. However, you are guaranteed to have housing and transport fully covered.
Aside from your papers, the most paramount requirement to work as a nurse in Norway is an authorization from the Norwegian Directorate of Health. Getting the authorization shouldn’t be difficult, considering you graduated from a trusted and lawful institution.
Highest paying jobs in Norway without a degree
The highest-paying jobs without a degree include sales executive, fashion designer, SEO specialist, manager, and art director.
Sales Executive
The total pay for a sales executive before tax is about 799,793 NOK (81,411 USD) yearly. This amount reduces to 650,000 NOK after deductions.
Additional pay of 149,793 NOK, which includes tips, commissions, profit sharing, and cash bonuses, is also guaranteed for most professionals.
This field has a minimum pay of 355,000 NOK, while the maximum is about 1,230,000 NOK. These differences are based on factors like experience, skills, gender, and location.
Fashion Designer
Fashion designers have an average base salary of about 675,076 NOK (68,716 USD). This translates to an hourly rate of 325NOK. Most designers in Norway also get an average bonus of 23,425 NOK.
A newcomer with one to three years of experience makes a maximum of 483,485 NOK, while those with more than eight years in the industry can earn as much as 833,051 NOK.
SEO Specialist
The gross salary of an SEO specialist in Norway is 583,649 NOK (59,409 USD), which equates to an hourly pay of 281 NOK. If new in the industry with less than three years of experience, you’ll earn a maximum of 423,943 NOK.
Your counterparts with more than eight years in the industry will make more than 716,666 NOK.
Manager
Being a manager in business development, digital marketing, customer service, restaurants, or meetings and events is another nicely paid job. The average salary for this post ranges between 1,090,000 NOK and 725,000 NOK (73,798 USD), which is pretty impressive.
Art Directors
An art director’s pay comes to about 901,000 NOK (91,713 USD). The average salary in this field is about 612,000 NOK. The number of those earning more than the base salary is almost equal to those that earn slightly less.
A fresher with less than two years in this field gets a pay of between 250,000 NOK and 500,000 NOK per year. Those with more than five years as art directors can earn as much as 75,560 NOK per month.
Sources
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