Work & Labour in Iceland

896 indicators covering work & labour for Iceland.

IndicatorLatest Year10-yr change Rank
Unemployment rate 2.56 2016 up 70.0% 52nd
Unemployment 4.17 2016 up 86.6% 57th
Youth labour force (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) 32.7 2020 up 21.7% 57th
Youth labour force participation rate (previous ILO definition) 43.7 2020 down 2.7% 48th
Youth outside the labour force (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) 42.13 2020 up 27.8% 56th
Youth employment (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) 32.7 2020 up 45.7% 57th
Youth employment-to-population ratio (previous ILO definition) 43.7 2020 up 16.5% 32nd
Working-age population 292.47 2020 up 25.7% 56th
Youth unemployment rate (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) 4.74 2016 up 22.9% 51st
Youth unemployment-to-population ratio (previous ILO definition) 2.25 2016 up 19.4% 53rd
Labour force participation rate 59.62 2020 down 7.2% 34th
Labour force 174.38 2020 up 16.6% 57th
Persons outside the labour force 118.09 2020 up 42.0% 56th
Employment-to-population ratio 59.62 2020 up 0.4% 20th
SDG indicator 8.5.2: Unemployment rate 2.56 2016 up 70.0% 52nd
Population and employment - national accounts - quarterly data 396.5 Thousand persons 2026 up 19.2% 45th
Agricultural labour input statistics - absolute figures 3.73 Thousand annual working units (AWU) 2025 down 1.8% 42nd
Agricultural labour input statistics - indices 102.53 Index, 2020=100 2025 down 1.9% 3rd
Nurses — Health and social employment 31.78 Per 1 000 inhabitants 2025 up 8.9% 1st
SDG indicator 9.2.2: Manufacturing employment as a proportion of 9.01 2025 down 12.0% 45th
Unemployment by sex and age - monthly data 13 Thousand persons 2026 up 116.7% 45th
Unemployment (current ILO definition - ICLS19) 10.54 2025 up 38.5% 67th
Employment-to-population ratio (current ILO definition - ICLS19) 72.27 2025 down 9.3% 3rd
Employment (current ILO definition - ICLS19) 227.24 2025 up 23.7% 68th
Persons outside the labour force (current ILO definition - ICLS19) 76.65 2025 up 95.6% 70th
Labour force participation rate (current ILO definition - ICLS19) 75.62 2025 down 8.9% 3rd
Employment by main industry (NACE Rev.2) - national accounts 75,963 Thousand hours worked 2026 down 0.1% 41st
Labour force (current ILO definition - ICLS19) 237.78 2025 up 24.3% 66th
Labour productivity and unit labour costs - quarterly data 99.9 Index, 2020=100 2026 down 2.6% 41st
Gini index of monthly earnings of employees 0.312 2020 down 1.9% 30th
Median monthly earnings of employees 4,983 2020 up 116.8% 17th
Public sector employment as a share of total employment 29.9% 2013 down 4.1% 8th
Employment by job tenure intervals - persons — Dependent employment 198.92 Persons 2025 up 25.0% 33rd
Wage gap by age — Senior to prime-age wage gap -7.39 Percentage of prime-age employees wage 2018 down 402.0% 21st
Population and employment - national accounts - annual data 391.9 Thousand persons 2025 up 20.8% 47th
Employment by job tenure intervals - persons — Employment tenure 227.68 Persons 2025 up 25.7% 33rd
Labour market outcomes of immigrants - Employment, unemployment, and 5.99 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup 2024 down 21.2% 18th
Trade union density rate 91.42 2019 up 6.1% 1st
NEET rate: Share of youth not in employment, education or training 4 2025 down 15.8% 64th
Wage gap by age — Youth to prime-age wage gap 36.09 Percentage of prime-age employees wage 2018 down 3.2% 19th
Labour productivity and unit labour costs by industry 73.5 Euro 2025 up 79.3% 1st
NEET: Youth not in employment, education or training 1.82 2025 down 4.4% 65th
Caring personnel (personal care workers) — Health and social 17.74 Per 1 000 inhabitants 2020 up 44.7% 4th
Labour productivity and unit labour costs - annual data 85,093 Euro 2025 up 83.1% 3rd
Employment by main industry (NACE Rev.2) - national accounts - annual 320,713 Thousand hours worked 2025 up 17.6% 42nd
Average hourly labour cost per employee - Discontinued 8,573 2025 up 125.6% 4th
LU3: Combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force 6.81 2025 down 19.2% 41st
LU2: Combined rate of time-related underemployment and unemployment 0.459 2020 down 94.7% 48th
Time-related underemployment 0.8 2020 down 48.3% 48th
Time-related underemployment rate 0.459 2020 down 59.0% 40th
Employment by detailed industry (NACE Rev.2) - national accounts 320,713 Thousand hours worked 2025 up 17.6% 41st
Potential labour force (current ILO definition - ICLS19) 7.73 2023 down 11.3% 58th
Labour force by educational attainment level 236.2 Thousand persons 2025 up 23.5% 45th
Employed persons by professional status 225.7 Thousand persons 2025 up 22.9% 44th
Employed persons by professional status and occupation 225.7 Thousand persons 2025 up 22.9% 44th
Employed persons by professional status and full-time/part-time 225.7 Thousand persons 2025 up 22.9% 44th
Self-employed persons by occupation 27.9 Thousand persons 2025 up 22.9% 44th
Employees by occupation 197.8 Thousand persons 2025 up 22.9% 44th
Persons in full-time/part-time employment by occupation 225.7 Thousand persons 2025 up 22.9% 44th
Population in private households by degree of urbanisation and labour 289.9 Thousand persons 2025 up 25.8% 45th