Osloruns on a handful of strong industries. If you’re job-hunting or weighing a move, here’s where the opportunities (and the big-name employers) are.
Top industries & employers
Energy & offshore
Equinor, Aker BP, Aker Solutions, DNV, Yara
Oslo holds the headquarters, the capital and the engineering services of an industry whose physical operations are on the west coast and offshore — the money and the boardrooms are here, the platforms are not.
Finance & asset management
DNB, Norges Bank Investment Management, Storebrand, Nordea Norway
Norges Bank Investment Management runs the sovereign wealth fund built from petroleum revenue, one of the largest single investors in the world, from an office in central Oslo.
Software & industrial technology
Cognite, Kahoot, Opera, Nordic Semiconductor, Remarkable
Norway's software sector is small but distinctive, weighted toward industrial data, education technology and low-power semiconductors rather than consumer apps.
Media, marketplaces & retail tech
Schibsted, Finn.no, Vipps MobilePay, Oda
Finn.no is where Norwegians buy houses, cars, furniture and find jobs — a single classifieds platform with a dominance no equivalent country has, and it is where your flat hunt will actually happen.
Maritime & shipping
Wilh. Wilhelmsen, Höegh Autoliners, Klaveness, Norwegian Hull Club
Oslo remains one of the world's genuine maritime capitals, with shipowning, broking, classification and marine insurance clustered around Aker Brygge and the fjord.
Public sector, health & research
Oslo University Hospital, University of Oslo, SINTEF, the Norwegian government
The public sector is a very large employer here, and Oslo University Hospital is one of the biggest in the Nordics — but most public roles require working Norwegian.
Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.