One option for those who do not speak Norwegian, but only English, is to work in a fish factory in Norway or in a fish farm. The fishing industry is one of the sectors where knowledge of Norwegian is not required for low-skilled jobs.
In Norway, the fishing sector has always played an important role in the Norwegian economy. Norway produces almost 60% of Atlantic salmon and exports more than one million tons per year. Fish is Norway’s second largest export sector after oil and gas. Therefore, it is not that difficult to find a job in a fish factory in Norway.
The industry includes traditional fishing (cod, shrimp, etc.), modern fish farming (salmon), and fish processing. It is possible to find specialized jobs in the fishing sector as well as general jobs.
You can find temporary or permanent jobs in these fish farming or fish factories, which are spread all along the Norwegian coast. The jobs are often found in rural areas outside the major population centers. For this reason, companies often provide their employees with shared housing. To do the job, you only need to know a little English.
- In factories, the most common activities are fish processing and packaging.
- In fish farms, the most common activities are slaughtering and packaging.
- Unlike other sectors, working on board ships requires knowledge of the Norwegian language, and there are special requirements to be able to board the ship.
The salary of a worker in these companies is around 20 €/hour + overtime, bonuses, vacations, etc. For job search you can consult the job search portals or contact directly the companies in the sector.
Many towns along the coast have small fish processing factories. The best way to find work is to go directly to the factory and drop off your CV or use a local employment agency.
On the other hand, if you want to use the Internet, you can visit these websites:
- Finn, the best-known job search portal
- NAV, contains job offers from the Norwegian Employment Agency
- Kompass, contains the directory of companies operating in the fishing sector in Norway
- Yellow Pages, contains the directory of fishing companies
- Biomar, one of the largest fish farms in Norway
- Aker biomarine, a company that fishes and markets shrimp
- Leroy seafood, a salmon farm
I would like to refer to the document Working in the Norwegian Seafood industry by NAV and EURES, which contains information for European workers interested in employment in this sector.
For those interested in working in Norway, I recommend reading the guide Working in Norway
