Norway: government adopts a plan to help companies and employees cope with the coronavirus

On top of the economic crisis, Norway is facing a major jobs problem because of the Covid-19 pandemic. In the past few weeks unemployment has risen from 2.3% to 10.9%, echoing levels unheard of since the 1930s. The wave of job losses is set to continue as 8 out of 10 businesses gear up for employment layoffs. In a bid to cope with the crisis, on 20 March and following several turbulent debates, Norway’s Parliament adopted a slew of provisional measures aimed at supporting companies as well as those losing their jobs. The measures however were not put forward by Erna Solberg’s minority right-wing ‘Thatcherite’ ruling government, but instead by the trade unions and employers.