The rule today is that an agreement can be entered into for temporary employment for up to 12 months for up to 15 % of the employees. It is this general right to hire temporarily that is likely to disappear. In other cases, where it is defined as a temporary position, project employment, seasonal work, etc., it will most likely still be possible to hire temporarily. A consultation statement is expected in the area before Christmas with an expectation of a clarification during Q1 2022.
What about hiring staff?
There will still be a need and opportunity for hiring personnel after tightening the regulations. The expectation is that there will be austerity measures in construction, especially around Oslo, in addition to an expectation that it may be more difficult for companies without a collective agreement to hire labor.
But the staffing market covers all industries and the whole of Norway. Construction accounts for only about 20 % of all hiring in Norway, according to industry statistics from NHO. At the same time, the political battle over demands for a collective agreement to hire labor has not been decided.
The political battle over changed rules for hiring is far from over
We at Veksthuset Personal have been fortunate to be able to influence directly into the Storting. In November, we received a pleasant inquiry from the Labor and Social Affairs Committee in the Conservative Party by Storting representative Anna Molberg. The inquiry concerned a possible company visit to learn more about us and our industry, to ensure increased competence in further negotiations in the Storting. We proudly said yes to a meeting and it resulted in a productive conversation about the staffing and recruitment industry together with the Storting representatives Anna Molberg, Henrik Asheim, Aleksander Stokkebø and two advisers from the Labor and Social Affairs Committee.
Some of the moments we visited were how we experience that, in keeping with the media image, we contribute to increased seriousness in working life, e.g. in the form of broad expertise in labor law and HSE. We further emphasized how we experience that many companies, especially in the SME segment, are dependent on a partner to gain access to the necessary labor (potentially weakened competitiveness in the event of excessive restrictions). We further signaled that we welcome more controls, as an alternative to further tightening. We also expressed concern about increased use of foreign companies in the event of a tightening of Norwegian staffing companies, and asked questions about how the foreign companies could be controlled regularly.
It is positive that those who will continue to work with this process are inquisitive and we hope that our input provided some new approaches and examples for further negotiations.
How does Veksthuset Personal react to probable rule changes?
We at Veksthuset Personal AS are well equipped for the changes that may come. We have an internal quality system, which ensures orderly conditions for our employees by, among other things, that the majority of our employees who are hired out are permanently employed by us. We have a well-developed internal control system for professional care of our employees, and their conditions. This means that our customers can be sure that hiring from Veksthuset Personal AS is safe and that all our employees have tidy working conditions.
- For many companies, it is an important part of the competitiveness to be able to acquire labor at short notice. Here, the staffing agencies play an important role as a strategic partner. We strongly believe that this will also apply after tightening of the regulations.
