Smaller place, bigger opportunities?

In March 2026, we finalised a project designed to mobilise the workforce and attract skilled migrants to consider opportunities in Rogaland. One thing became increasingly clear throughout the project period: for the candidate who can leave Oslo or one of the other larger cities in Norway, opportunities await.

One person who realised exactly what potential rural Norway offers is Jennifer Forrest.

In 2023, Jennifer Forrest, an American project manager, visited Oslo for 10 days with a baby in her arms and her mum in tow. During that visit, she decided to make Norway her new home.

At the time, she was working as a technical project manager in the US. Having been headhunted for her last three roles, she was out of the loop as a job searcher - never mind as a job searcher in Norway!

Naturally, she put her project management skills to the test.

Applying for work in Norway while still based in the US and attempting to build a LinkedIn network relevant to Norwegian roles from overseas led nowhere, so Jennifer quickly upped her game. In 2024, she applied for summer school at the University of Oslo to learn Norwegian. At the same time, she applied for Norway-based roles in English-speaking work environments and secured a project management role with an international oil and gas software company based in Oslo. She moved to Norway with her son and continued learning Norwegian, as well as studying the Norwegian market. She already knew this was going to be a permanent move, and her long-term goal was to secure a Norwegian-speaking role.

Over the next year, she made a few interesting observations:

● ‘Project management’ can mean many different things! Applying to project management roles in Norway requires in-depth knowledge. Interesting, right? Read Jennifer’s insights on project management roles for skilled migrants in a Norwegian context here.

● Norwegian at a B1 level as a minimum is key, and perhaps most importantly,

● Competition for jobs drops significantly if you’re willing to leave the larger cities for a rural location

Smaller place, bigger opportunities?

Jennifer was willing to relocate for a suitable role. Here’s her strategy: She set a few location parameters that were important to her, and evaluated opportunities and vacancies outside of Oslo against them:

1. Does the location have (non-waitlisted) access to child care (barnehage)?

2. Is there a mosque in this location?

3. Is the location connected to an airport or a transport hub for international travel?

4. Does the location have a diverse enough population to support raising a biracial child?

10 rural locations in Norway were identified and scored against the parameters. “I was looking for a career move,” shares Jennifer, “but at the same time, stability is important. I don’t want to risk another relocation, so I was certainly open to a horizontal career move where I could grow, develop and gain new skills. I was not only looking for an upward career move.”

“I was looking for a career move,” shares Jennifer, “but at the same time, stability is important. I don’t want to risk another relocation, so I was certainly open to a horizontal career move where I could grow, develop and gain new skills. I was not only looking for an upward career move.”

Moving into a role in rural Norway, Jennifer left tech project management for a public sector construction (bygg og anlegg) project management role. She works in Norwegian - nynorsk, at that! - and was one of 16 applicants, where 4 were hired. She is settling into a rural life with access to childcare for her son, affordable housing, a good work-life balance, and the occasional rainstorm. (Hello, West Norway).

Interested in pursuing a career in rural Norway? Here are Jennifer’s top tips to other migrant job seekers:

Widen your search! There are lots of opportunities outside the larger cities, and the competition is much lower!
Consider public sector, and consider that a horizontal or even downward career move is sometimes part of the immigrant experience. You’ll bounce back.
Invest in learning Norwegian. It’ll widen your opportunities both professionally and in terms of being part of the community.

Plus, the scenery is stunning.