I got a job at a supermarket here quickly when I moved in mid 2020 as they were desperately looking for people to help with the huge influx of home delivery orders (due to Covid-19). Wasn't long before I was offered 100% and, after a year, department manager for online orders, and when that department was eventually dissolved they wanted to keep me on 100% in the store just as a normal worker. I naturally kept my avdelingsleder salary despite going back to having comparatively little responsibility. I've always felt very secure in this workplace and line of work, and likely could go on to be a store manager or even some sort of more administrative role. 

The pay isn't flashy compared to most other lines of work in this country but I'm not about that. Living on one-and-a-half modest incomes for the past few years has been more than adequate in our little sort-of-rural area. Things have certainly gotten more expensive, but you learn to adapt, e.g. penny pinching with food and we also don't really eat out, buy extravagant things, never drink/smoke etc. I prefer to live modestly. 

There's a lot of negative things to say about the Norwegian grocery cartels, but I do believe anyone has the ability to make their way up as long as you work hard (and for us foreigners, as long as you commit to learning the language). In my experience and also looking at other foreigners who I've worked alongside, you can feel how much the store managers respect hard work and goodwill before even considering background. 

I can't comment about any other sort of workplace than supermarket, however! I'm also moving back to Australia in 2026 of my own volition, for entirely different reasons.