A secondment stay at NAV analyse

Written by Erlend Nordrum, research fellow at Østfold University College and DIGIT alumni. September 2024.

As a participant in the DIGIT program, I have received several opportunities and encouragement to gain exposure outside academia, including the option to do a secondment with one of the research school's many public or private partners. However, as a Ph.D. student, I often felt too busy to take time for activities that did not directly contribute to the completion of my dissertation, so I did not give these opportunities much serious consideration. That changed after hearing about NAV Analyse at the DIGIT research school's final seminar. I decided that I wanted to try a secondment at NAV Analyse. I contacted the DIGIT coordinator (Tina), and she immediately set things in motion. Before long, I had scheduled a week after the summer for the secondment, and Ida Bring Løberg from NAV developed a program for the week tailored to my interests.

During my stay at NAV Analyse, a section of the Labour and Welfare Directorate, I spent time with:

·         Team Veivalg: This team worked on developing an algorithm to optimize NAV's measures for job seekers—a fascinating objective that requires balancing various ethical, economic, and technical considerations. I had the opportunity to participate in two of their meetings, where I delved into these complex questions and gained a deeper understanding of the challenges involved.

·         The digital exclusion task force: This group focused on developing new measures for NAV to assist digitally excluded individuals—a critical project. In the meeting I attended, the group worked meticulously for several hours to narrow down and refine a long list of potential measures. I learned a great deal about the multiple layers of societal and bureaucratic considerations that inform this work.

·         The labor market forecasting team: This team focused on short-term labor market forecasts using macroeconomic modeling (Kvarts). I not only gained insights into these models in general but also had the chance to discuss the specific adjustments the team makes to tailor the model to NAV's particular needs.

·         The editor of NAV’s Horizon Scan: The Horizon Scan conducts its own surveys and synthesizes existing scientific literature to identify important long-term societal trends up to 2035. We briefly reviewed predictions made in 2014, which proved to be remarkably accurate.

·        Faglunsj: I was also invited to present some of my Ph.D. work at the section’s weekly Faglunsj (professional lunch). My presentation generated significant interest, and I received valuable feedback and questions.

In addition to this excellent program, I was warmly welcomed by the inclusive staff at NAV Analyse. Between meetings, I had access to a desk alongside other staff at the directorate, where I could work on my Ph.D. I was included in the section's meetings and enjoyed lunch with interesting people every day.

Now that the secondment is over, I am very glad I gave this opportunity more serious consideration. It was an enjoyable and memorable week, and I will encourage other DIGIT participants to consider a secondment. Additionally, I highly recommend NAV Analyse as a place to work and will certainly consider it myself in the future.

Thanks to everyone who helped make this great experience happen!