The Icelandic labour market in December 2023
Summary
The unemployment rate in December was 3,6%, up from 3,4% in November.
There were on average 6.848 unemployed persons in December 2023.
Unemployment by gender:
The unemployment rate for men in December was 3,7%, up from 3,5% in November. The unemployment rate for women was 3,4% in December, up from 3,3% in November.
Unemployment among young adults:
There were 720 young adults, aged 18-24 years unemployed in December 2023, up from 712 in November.
Long-term unemployment
There were 1.127 long-term unemployed (unemployed longer than 12 months) at the end of December 2023. In November there were 1.133 long-term unemployed.
Foreign workers:
There were 203 work permits issued in December 2023.
There were 46 foreign service companies registered at The Directorate of Labour in December 2023, posting 376 workers.
There were 22 temporary work agencies registered at The Directorate of Labour in December 2023, with
585 workers.
Forecast for January 2024:
It is expected that the unemployment rate will be between 3,6% and 3,8% in January.
