No new mass layoffs had been announced to the Directorate of Labor on Friday. Although unemployment is still increasing in Iceland, it is increasing more slowly than in January, according to Gissur Pétursson, head of the directorate.
A construction site in Iceland’s capital region. Construction is one of the sectors that were hit hardest when the crisis struck last fall. Copyright: Icelandic Photo Agency.
There are currently 16,353 people without jobs in Iceland, 10,404 men and 5,949 women, Fréttabladid reports.
The unemployment rate has climbed from 8,982 (5,653 men and 3,329 women) at the end of December and 12,407 (7,804 men and 4,603 women) at the end of January.
The vast majority of those currently unemployed, 10,767 people, live in the capital region.
The second largest group resides in the Sudurnes region in southwest Iceland, where 1,786 people are registered unemployed, closely followed by the northeastern region, where 1,583 individuals are out of work.
The fewest people, 96, have lost their jobs in the West Fjords since the crisis hit.
Click here to read more about unemployment in Iceland.
