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Norwegian federation makes advances to employees
29th of July 2025 Article by Lotte Printz
Can a ‘charm offensive’ fight labour shortages and attract people to the cleaning industry in Norway
as well as wash away some bad news, asks ECJ’s Lotte Printz.
There are almost 39,000 jobs in Norway waiting for a match. A number that derives from
the most extensive business survey in Norway on labour market demand carried out by NAV (the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Agency) among 11,311 public and private companies from February to mid-March 2025.
The results were released at the beginning of May and NAV’s managing director Hans Christian Holte subsequently encouraged employers across industries to reconsider their approaches in employee attraction. The Norwegian Federation of Service Industries and Retail Trade (NHO), organising facility service and cleaning companies among others, was not slow to react making advances to potential employees.
Job opportunities
Speaking to the Norwegian cleaning industry magazine Renholdsnytt, the director of the department for facility service and management at NHO Jorulf Brøvig Silde announced that this line of business (for example, covering cleaning, security, canteen and technical maintenance jobs) offers considerable opportunities for those looking for a practical and varied job.
“Jobs that are essential for the smooth and efficient operation of society on a daily basis,” and “in an industry that offers both stability and advancement opportunities,” as he puts it.
Also, Silde stresses, many employers within these businesses offer training, refresher courses and other education that enable employees to take on specialist roles or manage teams and projects, making the industry attractive for both fresh graduates and people on the lookout for career change.
Whether Silde’s efforts in promoting the industry in this respect will pay off and attract (the right) people, is yet to be seen, of course. Or whether it can wash away some bad news from the hospitality sector reported almost simultaneously.
As reported in Danish industry magazine RENT, quoting Renholdsnytt, the 2024 annual report from the regional working environment representatives within the hospitality and cleaning sectors reveals that several restaurants across Norway have taken on cleaning operations themselves after Covid-19. And put waiting staff in charge of the actual cleaning.
Tarnish reputation
This was the shocking news reported after the representatives had visited 1,500 businesses in the catering and restaurant trade. Moreover, these inspections revealed an excessive use of cleaning products acquired from ordinary retailers offering no or only little guidance as to the use of chemicals and protective measures.
The most worrying news that came out of the inspections, perhaps, was that young restaurant staff reported experiencing regular dizziness, even rashes, while cleaning – but considered it a normal response as all their colleagues experienced the same!
Even though this occurred in a different industry - with little knowledge of cleaning procedures as the said annual report states - this kind of conduct might have a negative impact on the cleaning industry and tarnish its reputation if the word is spread that cleaning commonly harms you and have side effects. Without also spreading the word that knowledge is key in cleaning.
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