⚡ Electrician, mechanic and welder

The jobs and the demand

Electricians, power line installers, industrial mechanics, construction machinery mechanics and welders keep Norwegian industry, construction and energy supply running. They install and repair electrical installations, maintain machines and production lines and weld pipes and steel structures – on building sites, in factories, at shipyards and in the offshore supply industry.

NAV's company survey 2026 estimates a shortage of about 33,750 workers in Norway. Industry is short of about 5,750, especially construction machinery and industrial mechanics, power line installers and welders. Building and construction is short of about 4,750, including about 1,110 electricians.

Requirements and qualifications

The usual starting point is a trade certificate (fagbrev), for example as an electrician, power line installer, industrial mechanic, construction machinery mechanic or welder. Electrical work is regulated by law: the regulation on electrical contractors and qualification requirements (fek) decides who may work on electrical installations, and the company must be registered in DSB's electrical contractor register (elvirksomhetsregisteret). The regulation on safety when working in and operating electrical installations (fse) requires annual training in safety and first aid.

Welders usually need a valid welding certificate under NS-EN ISO 9606 for the process and the material they weld. Forklifts, overhead cranes, mobile cranes and construction machines require certified safety training and a certificate of competence (kompetansebevis). For other dangerous work equipment, the employer must provide documented safety training. Check arbeidstilsynet.no for what applies to your equipment.

Recognition of foreign qualifications

If you have training and experience as an electrical worker from another country, you must apply to DSB for recognition before you can do regulated electrical work in Norway. The rules differ for qualifications from the EU/EEA and from countries outside the EU/EEA. You apply online, documents that are not in English, Swedish or Danish must be translated by a state-authorised translator, and there is a fee. Check the current amount and processing time on dsb.no.

For other trades, HK-dir has information on recognition of foreign education, but a foreign trade certificate is not always recognised directly. Many people therefore take the trade certificate as a praksiskandidat: with long and varied experience in the trade, you can take the trade test without an apprenticeship. The county authority assesses your experience and tells you what you must document.

Finding a job

You can find vacancies on arbeidsplassen.no, run by NAV, and on finn.no. Also look directly at electrical contractors, shipyards, energy companies, smelters and suppliers to oil, gas and offshore wind. Western Norway, with Rogaland, Vestland and Møre og Romsdal, has many industrial companies and offshore suppliers, but skilled workers are needed all over the country.

Many start through a staffing agency. It can be a good way in, but read the contract carefully and ask about pay, working hours and which collective agreement applies. Have your trade certificate, certificates and competence cards ready, and write in your CV which installations, machines and welding processes you have experience with.

Working conditions and rights

Many workplaces are covered by collective agreements, for example the National Agreement for the Electrical Trades (Landsoverenskomsten for elektrofagene) and the Engineering Industry Agreement (Verkstedsoverenskomsten). The agreements regulate pay, allowances and working hours, among other things. Shifts, rotas and overtime are common, and the Working Environment Act limits how much you may work. Overtime must give at least a 40 percent supplement to your hourly pay.

The employer is responsible for health, safety and environment (HMS): risk assessment, training, protective equipment and procedures for safe work. You must follow the procedures and must stop work if you believe it cannot continue without danger. The safety representative (verneombud) can help you. EL og IT Forbundet organises electricians among others, and Fellesforbundet organises many in industry and workshops.

Language at work

In an industrial workplace, language is part of safety. You must understand work orders, work permits, safe job analyses (SJA) and instructions, and you must be able to speak up clearly: «Stop!», «Is the installation dead?», «Who has locked here?». During isolation, also called LOTO or lockout/tagout, you disconnect the energy source, lock with your own padlock, hang up a tag and check that the installation is dead and free of stored energy before you start. Always ask if you are unsure. It is not embarrassing, it is professional.

Equipment faults, injuries and near misses must be reported as deviations (avvik), often in a digital system. Write briefly and concretely: what happened, where and when, and what you did. Practise the words in the vocabulary list and the tests below.

Sources: nav.no, dsb.no, arbeidstilsynet.no, lovdata.no, udir.no, hkdir.no, arbeidsplassen.no, elogit.no, fellesforbundet.no