Almost 60 percent of the jobs that were vacant in May were in fields where the salaries are usually low. According to job agencies, it is often difficult to man these jobs and also jobs where the working hours are outside the regular workday.
Copyright: Icelandic Photo Agency.
“There are a lot of people who want to work but they also want to have time off at the same time as the rest of the family,” commented Lind Einarsdóttir at the job agency Talent to Morgunbladid.
The situation in the employment market is such that vacancies are on both ends of the scale: on the one hand low-paying jobs that don’t require any special training and on the other jobs requiring specified skills or education.
However, there is little demand for workers in all the fields in between. Job agencies report that people are generally eager to seek employment but many start losing their spirit once they’ve been unemployed for a long time.
“We can sense certain hopelessness among people who are interviewed by us when applying for jobs,” Einarsdóttir said.
Click here to read more about unemployment in Iceland.
