APREX · EST. 2026
Norwegian business has embraced the AI wave faster than most. But behind impressive adoption figures lies a serious bottleneck that few are talking about openly: we lack the people who can actually make the technology work.
Adoption without a foundation
In just two years, the share of Norwegian businesses reporting AI use has more than doubled — from 24 percent in 2023 to 55 percent in 2025, according to figures cited by Digi.no. That places Norway well ahead of the EU average, where around 20 percent of businesses have adopted AI.
But high adoption is not the same as good implementation. The growth in tool usage has not been matched by a corresponding growth in competence. The result is a gap that is now beginning to have real consequences for Norway's competitive position.
We talk a lot about models, tools, and data. We talk far too little about the people who are supposed to make it all work.
Recruitment is the real crisis
Only 13 percent of Norwegian businesses find it easy to hire people with adequate digital skills, according to the research underpinning the debate on Digi.no. That is significantly lower than the Nordic average of 22 percent — and a sobering finding for a country that likes to present itself as digitally forward-thinking.
As many as 38 percent of Norwegian organisations point to a lack of digital competence as a direct obstacle to expanding their use of AI. This is not a marginal problem confined to a handful of industries — it is a structural weakness running across Norwegian business life.
The job market is changing faster than people can keep up
Labour market data underscores that this is not a problem that will resolve itself. AI-related job postings in Norway increased by around 300 during 2025, but volume is not the most alarming aspect — it is the content of the requirements.
Skills demanded in roles with high AI exposure are evolving twice as fast as in roles with low exposure. That represents a 75 percent increase in the competence gap compared with the previous year. Most striking of all: junior roles with high AI exposure are seven times more likely to require what has traditionally been considered senior-level competence — leadership and strategic thinking.
A global problem — with distinctly Norwegian characteristics
Norway is not alone in facing this challenge. Globally, demand for AI talent exceeds supply by a factor of 3.2, with more than 1.6 million open AI positions and only 518,000 qualified candidates available worldwide. The estimated cost of this gap has been calculated at $5.5 trillion in lost productivity by 2026, according to the research base on which the Digi.no debate draws.
Within the EU, AI competence is highly concentrated: half of all AI workers are located in the United Kingdom, Germany, and France. That makes the competition for the remaining talent pool especially fierce for countries like Norway.
Norway also has structural characteristics that complicate the picture. Wealth tax and exit tax provisions may deter foreign AI talent from settling here, and the Norwegian AI industry ecosystem remains relatively immature compared with the major European tech hubs.
73 percent of residents believe digital gaps are holding back their job prospects
The problem extends beyond businesses. As many as 73 percent of Norwegian residents believe their own digital skills shortcomings are hampering their employment opportunities, according to the same sources. Minister of Research and Higher Education Sigrun Aasland has on several occasions emphasised that society will continue to experience a shortage of skilled workers even in an era of rapid technological development.
This suggests that the solution cannot come from recruitment alone. Internal training and continuing education within organisations is becoming increasingly important — yet a 2026 DataCamp study shows that 59 percent of business leaders globally still report AI competence gaps, despite 82 percent saying their organisation offers some form of AI training.
What needs to happen?
The debate on Digi.no puts its finger on an uncomfortable truth: Norwegian business has been good at adopting AI tools, but has underestimated how demanding it is to build organisations that can actually exploit them. It is not enough to purchase access to a large language model and hope that employees figure out the rest on their own.
There is no consensus on exactly what needs to be done. But the direction is clear: without a long-term commitment to building competence — in schools, in businesses, and in recruitment policy — Norway risks becoming a country that is early to use AI, but late to reap the benefits of it.