Value-creating people
Every single day, around three million people go to work in Norway. They build, teach, care for, repair, cultivate, develop, transport and create the values that keep our society going. This article is a tribute to the people behind the statistics – the 95 percent of the workforce who every morning, every evening and every night contribute to making Norway function. Because the most important capital we have is not oil or money. It is people.
Every morning. Every afternoon. Every evening. Every night.
While most of us are sleeping, some are already at work.
A nurse finishes her night shift.
A baker has been working for several hours.
A fishing boat is heading towards land.
A police patrol ends the night.
An ambulance is on its way to the next mission.
A power plant is being monitored.
A data center keeps our network up and running.
A freight train is traveling through the country.
Norway never sleeps.
And neither do the people who keep the country running.
Three million stories
Approximately 3 million people go to work in Norway.
Approximately 95% of the workforce is employed.
This means that millions of people create value every day.
Not just financial values.
But security.
Knowledge.
Care.
Food.
Transportation.
Energy.
Technology.
Culture.
Unity.
"A country's most important capital is not found in the state budget. It shows up at work every single day."
Behind every number there is a person.
Not a statistic.
Not a spreadsheet.
A human being.
A nurse.
A teacher.
A bus driver.
A store employee.
An electrician.
A farmer.
A fisherman.
A developer.
A cleaner.
An industrial worker.
A chef.
A kindergarten teacher.
A craftsman.
A researcher.
A watchman.
A fire constable.
A truck driver.
Millions of people.
Behind every service we use, there is a person. Behind a well-functioning society, there are millions.
No one creates Norway alone
The hospital cannot function without the cleaner.
The doctor cannot do without the health care worker.
The store cannot function without transportation.
The transport does not work without the mechanic.
The mechanic does not function without the industry.
Industry cannot function without power.
The force doesn't work without the engineers.
Everything is connected.
The invisible capital
We often talk about oil.
About the state budget.
About interest rates.
About shares.
About GDP.
But we don't find the most important capital there.
We find it in humans.
The people who meet at work.
Every morning.
Every afternoon.
Every night.
Every night.
365 days a year.
The most important capital cannot be written off in an accounting. It must be developed, valued and cared for.
Maybe this is what we should talk about more.
We often discuss the few percent who are outside the workforce.
But the story of Norway is primarily about the 95 percent who are actually at work.
They are the ones who build the houses.
They are the ones who teach the children.
They are the ones who treat the patients.
They are the ones who produce the food.
They are the ones who keep the wheels turning.
They are the ones who create the values.
When most of us go to bed at night, some of us are starting our workday.
When we wake up the next morning, thousands of people have already been at work for several hours.
We don't know their names.
But we are dependent on them.
Every single day.
It is these people who are Norway's most important capital.
These people are the real value creators.
A personal reflection
When I retired, I ended almost fifty years of working life.
Throughout these years, I have had the pleasure of working with people in private business, the public sector, and volunteering.
I have seen how values are created.
Not primarily through technology.
Not through budgets.
Not through spreadsheets.
But through people.
Through colleagues who stood up when it really mattered.
Through the nurse who took an extra shift.
Through the teacher who spent a little extra time on a student.
Through the cleaner who made sure the workplace was ready the next morning.
Through the developer who solved a problem no one else could.
Through the electrician, the carpenter, the bus driver, the store employee, the farmer, the fisherman, the industrial worker, the chef and all the others who do their jobs every day – often without receiving much attention.
I was part of this workforce for almost half a century.
I am now retired from working life.
That doesn't mean I'm unemployed.
This means that I have had the opportunity to see working life from a different angle.
And perhaps I appreciate it even more today.
Every time I walk into a hospital, shop in a store, drive on a well-maintained road, or receive help from the public sector, I know that there are people behind it.
People who have gotten up early.
People who have worked evenings.
People who have had night shifts.
People who have chosen professions because they wanted to make a difference.
Therefore, I want to say one thing:
Thanks.
Thank you to all of you who keep Norway going.
Every morning.
Every afternoon.
Every night.
Every night.
You may not always be the most visible.
But you are the most important capital Norway has.
You are the real value-creating people.
They are the invisible capital that makes Norway function.
Approximately 3 million people go to work in Norway.
Approximately 95% of the workforce is employed.
Read more about value-creating people
Value creation happens every day and throughout society. In this series, we take a closer look at some of the people, workplaces, and societal functions that create value for us all.
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