work-related crime

Work-related crime — known in Norway as arbeidslivskriminalitet or a-krim — is a broad term for offences that breach laws on pay and working conditions, social security, taxes, and levies. These offences are often organised, exploit workers, and distort competition. In public procurement, work-related crime poses a significant challenge because public contracts can attract unscrupulous operators looking to undercut legitimate businesses.

How does work-related crime work?

A hallmark of work-related crime is multi-criminality: a single operator may simultaneously underpay workers, evade taxes, falsify accounts, and use illegal labour. The most common forms are exploitation of foreign workers and tax evasion. Other typical offences include wage theft, social security fraud, use of forged documentation, and violations of health and safety regulations.

In the EU/EEA, the sectors most at risk include construction, cleaning services, hospitality, transport, and car maintenance. Criminal actors frequently shift between sectors to evade detection. Norway was the first European country to criminalise wage theft specifically, introducing penalties of up to six years' imprisonment in 2022.

Combating work-related crime through procurement

Contracting authorities across the EU/EEA have several tools to address work-related crime through procurement rules:

• Exclusion grounds: Under EU Directive 2014/24/EU, Article 57, operators convicted of serious criminal offences must be excluded. Labour law violations may also constitute discretionary exclusion grounds
• Labour integrity requirements: Contract conditions on wages, limits on subcontracting chains, and mandatory social protections
• Tax certificates: Evidence that a supplier has met its tax obligations
• Apprenticeship clauses: Requirements promoting legitimate workforce development

In Norway, four agencies — the Labour Inspection Authority, NAV, the Police, and the Tax Administration — cooperate through eight dedicated a-krim centres. Tools like Cobrief can help suppliers keep track of integrity requirements and contract conditions across different procedures.

Work-related crime harms workers and erodes fair competition. For legitimate suppliers, combating it means securing a level playing field where contracts are won on merit, not by cutting corners on workers' rights.