Unemployment in Norway rose last month, the government wants to cut postal deliveries, and other news from Norway on Monday.
Unemployment rose in Norway in March
Unemployment was measured at 4.1 percent of the workforce in March, according to figures from the national data agency Statistics Norway.
Norway’s unemployment rate for March was the highest for the month since 2021. The increase for March was 0.2 percentage points higher than in February.
There were some 124,000 unemployed people in Norway in March 2025, according to figures from the Labour Force Survey.
“Over the past year, the employment rate has decreased by 0.3 percentage points, even though the number of employed people has increased by 11,000 people. This is because population growth has been greater than employment growth during this period,” Tonje Køber from Statistics Norway said.
The government wants to cut postal deliveries to once a week
A committee on the future of Norway’s postal service has said the high cost per letter sent, triggered by a decline in letters sent, means that the government should consider axing postal deliveries and instead have people pick up their mail from the post office.
However, the government won’t take this recommendation to its full extent, but will instead reduce deliveries to once per week.
“Postal services are an important pillar of Norwegian society, but digitalisation has meant that we send less and less traditional mail,” Minister of Transport and Communications Jon-Ivar Nygård has said.
The state will try and save 1.5 billion kroner per year by reducing deliveries to once per week. The government plans to submit a new law for consultation in the fall of 2025.
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Customers continue to opt for fixed interest rates
Nordea, Handelsbanken, and DNB have all seen customers opt for fixed interest rates recently, the news site ABC Nyheter reported on Sunday.
“We have had a small increase in progress in March, which has continued so far in April. The increase in March and April is probably related to the fact that experts now expect fewer interest rate cuts in the future than previously thought, and many may receive immediate interest rate cuts through a fixed-rate agreement,” Cathrine Graff, press manager for Nordea, told ABC News.
Meanwhile, DNB said more of its customers were choosing to opt for the predictability of a fixed rate.
Farmers to issue demands to the government
The government will receive the agricultural sector’s demands on Monday. The government heavily subsidises farming in Norway to ensure Norwegian agriculture remains viable. This results in a yearly settlement between the government and farmers.
Subsidies are also seen as a means of guaranteeing food security.
“Norwegian food security requires more than plans and warehouses. It requires active farmers who have security for tomorrow and faith in the future. Only then can we secure food for our own population when it really matters,” Bjørn Gimming, head of the Norwegian Farmers’ Union and who would lead negotiations, said.