The Icelandic labour market in December 2024

Summary

The unemployment rate in December was 3,8%, up from 3,7% in November.

There were on average 7.875 unemployed persons in December 2024.

Unemployment by gender:

The unemployment rate for men in December was 3,9%, up from 3,7% in November. The unemployment rate for women was 3,8% in December, up from 3,7% in November.

Unemployment among young adults:

There were 862 young adults, aged 18-24 years unemployed in December 2024, down from 871 in November.

Long-term unemployment

There were 1.381 long-term unemployed (unemployed longer than 12 months) at the end of December 2024. In November there were 1.321 long-term unemployed.

Foreign workers:

There were 178 work permits issued in December 2024.

There were 26 foreign service companies registered at The Directorate of Labour in December 2024, posting 139 workers.

There were 17 temporary work agencies registered at The Directorate of Labour in December 2024, with

568 workers.

Forecast for January 2025:

It is expected that the unemployment rate will be between 3,9% and 4,1% in January.