Greenhouse producer Hans-Albert Huseby at Huseby Gård in Lier has 180 workers on the payroll, but is struggling to recruit enough employees, especially during seasonal periods.
Huseby tells Nationen that interest from Norwegian job seekers is very low.
Huseby Gård is a major producer of vegetables and also imports goods out of season to maintain operations and employment.
Both Hans-Albert Huseby and his father, Amund Huseby, have noticed a big change in the recruitment base in recent decades. Whereas many local young people used to work on the farm, there are now very few Norwegians who apply to work there.
The majority of employees at Huseby Gård come from Poland, Ukraine and Vietnam.
However, the weak Norwegian krone has made it less attractive for Polish workers to come to Norway. An attempt to recruit 18 workers from Nepal was recently rejected by the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI) due to concerns about return after the end of the contract, costing the company NOK 120,000 in application fees.
Norwegians cannot replace foreign seasonal workers in the field
The Norwegian Association of Horticulturalists shares Huseby’s challenges and believes there is a need to simplify the process for obtaining work permits for seasonal workers. They also want professional organisations such as Norske Landbrukstenester to be able to employ and hire out labour to farmers, in order to ease employer responsibility.
Another challenge is that many seasonal workers want to work more than the Norwegian working environment legislation allows, as they primarily come to Norway to earn money.
Gartnerforbundet is working on a proposal to the authorities on the possibility of exemptions from the working hours regulations for the horticultural industry, similar to the arrangements that exist in the petroleum industry.
Despite bureaucracy and recruitment challenges, Huseby Gård continues to rely on networks and good relationships to ensure sufficient labour throughout the season.
As a result, it looks like Minister of Agriculture Nils Kristen Sandtrøen and Minister of Labour Tonje Brenna’s dream of filling the labour lists with hard-working Norwegian “Gerhardsen youths” will remain just that – a dream.
