Permitteringsgraden påvirker arbeidsledigheten.

Because Norwegian makes very heavy use of compound nouns.

• permitteringsgraden = permittering
  • grad
    • definite ending -en
• arbeidsledigheten = arbeid
  • ledighet
    • definite ending -en

Where English often writes several words, Norwegian often packs the idea into one compound word. This is very normal and important to get used to.

That -s- is a linking s. It helps connect the parts of the compound:

• permittering = temporary layoff / furlough
• grad = degree, level, rate
• permitteringsgrad = layoff rate / degree of temporary layoffs

The -s- usually does not add meaning by itself. It is mainly a connector that makes the compound sound natural in Norwegian. You will see this in many compounds.

The ending -en marks the definite singular form, roughly like English the.

So:

• permitteringsgrad = layoff rate
• permitteringsgraden = the layoff rate

and

• arbeidsledighet = unemployment
• arbeidsledigheten = the unemployment

In Norwegian, the definite article is usually attached to the noun as an ending instead of being a separate word like English the.

In this kind of formal or economic statement, Norwegian often uses the definite form where English might use either a definite noun or a more general abstract noun.

Because in Norwegian, the is usually built into the noun.

Compare:

• en grad = a rate/degree

• graden = the rate/degree

• en ledighet = an unemployment/absence/free state
• ledigheten = the unemployment

So permitteringsgraden already means the layoff rate, and arbeidsledigheten already means the unemployment / unemployment in context.

Påvirker is the present tense of påvirke (to affect / influence).

• å påvirke = to affect
• påvirker = affects / is affecting

A useful thing for English speakers: Norwegian verbs do not change form depending on the subject.

So you get:

• jeg påvirker
• du påvirker
• han påvirker
• de påvirker

The same present-tense form works for all persons.

It is the standard subject–verb–object pattern:

• Permitteringsgraden = subject
• påvirker = verb
• arbeidsledigheten = object

So the sentence structure is:

Subject + Verb + Object

This is very similar to English:

The layoff rate affects unemployment.

Yes. In a direct question, Norwegian usually puts the verb before the subject.

For example:

• Påvirker permitteringsgraden arbeidsledigheten?
  = Does the layoff rate affect unemployment?

If you use a question word:

• Hvordan påvirker permitteringsgraden arbeidsledigheten?
  = How does the layoff rate affect unemployment?

This is part of the normal Norwegian verb-second (V2) system.

Not exactly.

Permittering usually means a temporary layoff or furlough. The employee is not necessarily permanently dismissed; the work situation is temporarily paused or reduced.

That is different from:

• oppsigelse = dismissal / termination / being let go permanently

So permitteringsgraden is more specifically about the rate or extent of temporary layoffs, not permanent job loss in general.

It is built from:

• arbeid = work
• ledig = free, vacant, not occupied
• -het / -ighet = a suffix forming an abstract noun

So arbeidsledighet literally means something like work-lessness or being without work, i.e. unemployment.

This is a very common formal word in economics, news, and politics.

They are very close, and both can relate to unemployment, but arbeidsledighet is the more standard and common term in official, economic, and statistical contexts.

So in a sentence like this, arbeidsledigheten sounds natural and standard.

A learner should definitely know arbeidsledighet first.

In compounds, the last part usually decides the grammatical gender and inflection.

So:

• permitteringsgrad is based on grad
• arbeidsledighet is based on ledighet

That is why the definite form is added to the whole compound:

• permitteringsgraden
• arbeidsledigheten

For this sentence, the most important practical point is not the gender itself, but the fact that the whole compound gets the definite ending.

A rough guide is:

• på sounds roughly like paw with a Norwegian å
• vir has a front rounded y sound, which English does not really have
• ker is pronounced with a clear r

The hardest parts for English speakers are usually:

• å in på
• y in påvirker

You do not need perfect pronunciation to understand the grammar, but those two vowels are worth practicing because they are very common in Norwegian.

It would sound unnatural in normal Norwegian.

In this sentence, the definite forms:

• permitteringsgraden
• arbeidsledigheten

sound much more idiomatic and complete.

Norwegian often uses the definite form when talking about general phenomena in a formal, analytical, or statistical way. So the original sentence is the natural version to learn.