Minimum Wage in Norway 2026: Hourly Rates by Sector, and What They Mean for Foreign Workers

If you search for “the minimum wage in Norway”, you will not find one number. In Norway, pay is agreed in individual employment contracts or through collective agreements between unions and employers. In some sectors, parts of those agreements have been made legally binding for everyone who works there. Outside those sectors, there is no statutory minimum at all.

Which rule applies to you?

Minimum hourly rates by sector

The table shows the rates Arbeidstilsynet listed as current when we checked on 25 October 2026. Unless stated otherwise, they have applied since 15 June 2025. Amounts are gross pay per hour, before tax.

Source: Arbeidstilsynet, Minimum wage (English page, no update date shown), read 25 October 2026. Selected groups only; under-18 rates in agriculture, shift supplements and other conditions are on the source page.

Fish processing: no general minimum at the moment

Fish processing had a legal minimum until 3 August 2026, when the regulation was repealed. Arbeidstilsynet reports that the Tariff Board is considering a request to make the new fish processing agreement generally applicable, and that the consultation period ended on 25 September 2026. Until a new regulation is adopted, check your contract and any collective agreement at your employer.

What the rates include, and what they do not

• All workers in the sector are covered, Norwegian and foreign. Apprentices and people on labour market schemes are not.
• Expense coverage is not pay. Travel, food and accommodation allowances do not count towards the minimum. Other payments only count if they are included in the basis for holiday pay, tax and social security.
• Overtime must be paid with a supplement of at least 40% of the agreed hourly rate under the Working Environment Act, unless a sector rule gives more. Electricians and maritime construction have higher overtime supplements.
• Some sectors add other rules. For example, employers in construction, cleaning and maritime construction must provide workwear, and in hospitality there are fixed maximum deductions if you live in a room at your workplace (NOK 675.67 per month for a single room).
• Deductions from pay are only allowed when authorised by law, a collective agreement or a written agreement, according to Arbeidstilsynet.
• Not paying is a crime. Arbeidstilsynet describes failure to pay as wage theft, a criminal offence. In the nine sectors, the main contractor at the top of a chain can also be held liable for unpaid minimum wages further down the chain.

Minimum wage is not a route into Norway

Several of the nine sectors, such as cleaning, hospitality and agriculture, consist largely of jobs that do not require formal qualifications. That matters if you are a citizen of a country outside the EU/EEA:

• The skilled worker permit requires a concrete job offer for a position that requires skilled worker qualifications. An ordinary job at minimum wage in an unskilled role does not meet that condition on its own.
• UDI also requires that pay and working conditions are not poorer than what is normal in Norway. UDI's skilled worker page does not give a figure, so the sector minimum is not the same thing as a permit salary requirement.
• Some agricultural and tourism work can instead fall under the seasonal worker rules, which have their own limits. See seasonal work in Norway for non-EU citizens.

If you are an EU/EEA citizen, you do not need a permit to take these jobs, and the minimum rates protect you in exactly the same way as Norwegian workers. If you are posted to Norway by a foreign employer, Arbeidstilsynet says the minimum wage rules apply to all workers in the sector, Norwegian and foreign.

Is a minimum wage enough to live on?

That depends on your hours, where you live and what you pay for housing, and we have not found an official figure that answers it for foreign workers. According to Arbeidstilsynet, it is common in Norway to be paid once a month, into your bank account. Before accepting an offer, compare the hourly rate with local rents and check whether the employer provides or deducts for accommodation. Be very careful with anyone who asks you to pay a fee to get the job: see Never Pay for a Job.

Key takeaways

• Norway has no national minimum wage. A legal minimum applies only in nine sectors.
• Current adult rates range from about NOK 163 (seasonal farm work, first 12 weeks) to NOK 270 (skilled electricians) per hour.
• The automotive industry gained a minimum wage from 15 June 2026. Fish processing has had none since 3 August 2026, while a new regulation is considered.
• Outside the nine sectors, your pay depends on your contract and any collective agreement.
• A minimum-wage job does not by itself qualify a non-EU citizen for a skilled worker permit.

Sources

• Minimum wage (Arbeidstilsynet): sectors, all rates, effective dates, fish processing repeal and consultation, scope, sanctions. No update date shown; read 25 October 2026.
• Pay and minimum rates of pay (Arbeidstilsynet): no statutory minimum wage, monthly payment, deductions, wage theft. No update date shown.
• Skilled workers (UDI): job offer, qualifications, pay not poorer than normal. No update date shown; read 25 October 2026.
• Service Centre for Foreign Workers (SUA): linked from Arbeidstilsynet's pages for foreign workers.

Related guides: Employee rights in Norway · Jobs in demand in Norway 2026 · Working in Norway without a job offer