Norway summer jobs involved almost half a million young people in 2025, according to new figures from Statistics Norway, showing how paid work remains a common part of the summer months for teenagers and young adults across the country.
Summer work remains stable among Norway’s youth
In June, July and August 2025, 476,000 people aged 15 to 24 had a job in at least one of the summer months. That corresponds to 71% of the age group, the same level recorded in 2024 and broadly stable over the past four years.
The figure includes all forms of work, whether permanent or temporary, and whether the job lasted for one month or the whole summer. Statistics Norway (Statistisk sentralbyrå, SSB) therefore also separates out a narrower category: temporary jobs with a planned end date, which more closely reflect what is usually understood as a summer job.
By that measure, 258,000 young people aged 15 to 24 had a typical summer job in 2025. That equals 38% of the group. Mari Kristine Knutsen, senior executive officer at SSB, said that these temporary jobs are often a better indicator of seasonal work, even if not every temporary position is necessarily a summer job.
Teenagers work less, but employment rises sharply after 18
The data show a clear divide within the 15–24 age group. Among 15–17-year-olds, 43% had a job during the summer months. The share rises sharply once young people pass the age of 18: 84% of 18–20-year-olds and 87% of 21–24-year-olds worked in at least one summer month.
The pattern is similar when looking only at temporary employment. In 2025, 27% of 15–17-year-olds had a temporary summer job, compared with 48% of 18–20-year-olds and 42% of 21–24-year-olds.
The youngest workers were also more likely to work only part of the summer. Nearly half of employed 15–17-year-olds worked for one or two of the three summer months, compared with around one third among those aged 18 to 24. This reflects the role of school holidays, limited experience and the more seasonal nature of many jobs available to younger teenagers.
Retail, care and hospitality dominate youth summer employment
Norway’s youth labour market remains concentrated in a few sectors. Around half of young summer workers are employed as shop assistants, care and welfare workers, kindergarten and after-school assistants, or waiters.
Retail is particularly common among the youngest workers, while older youth are more often found in care-related jobs. SSB links this partly to seasonal demand. During the summer months, many permanent employees are on holiday, increasing the need for temporary staff in care services, restaurants and other labour-intensive sectors.
The figures also show a gender difference. A slightly larger share of young women than young men worked during the summer months. The gap is wider when only temporary jobs are considered, suggesting that young women are more strongly represented in seasonal work.
Hourly pay points to strong seasonal demand
For 15–17-year-olds, the average agreed monthly wage per full-time equivalent was NOK 25,820 in August 2025, about €2,380. Based on a standard full-time month of 162.5 hours, this corresponds to an average hourly wage of NOK 159, about €14.70.
For this youngest group, temporary jobs paid slightly more than permanent ones: NOK 162 per hour in temporary jobs, about €14.90, compared with NOK 152, about €14.00, in permanent jobs. SSB said this is unusual compared with other age groups and may indicate that demand for young workers is higher in the holiday months than during the rest of the year.
The wage pattern reflects the structure of the summer labour market. Sectors such as care, hospitality and seasonal services need additional staff during a short period, while many young people are available because schools and universities are closed.
Norway’s summer jobs highlight a broader Nordic labour pattern
The Norwegian figures show a labour market where early work experience is widespread and relatively stable. For many young people, summer employment is not only a source of income, but also an entry point into working life, particularly in retail, care and hospitality.
The data also point to structural questions shared across the Nordic countries: how to balance early labour market participation with education, how to ensure decent conditions for young workers, and how seasonal sectors can meet demand without relying on unstable employment.
With Norway summer jobs remaining common across several age groups, the trend suggests that youth employment continues to play an important role in the country’s summer economy and in the transition from school to working life.
