Unemployment has risen between December and January, according to data from the Directorate of Labor.
About 15,000 people were unemployed in January, while at the end of the month, 16,382 were registered as unemployed or underemployed. January’s unemployment figures stand at about 9%, and show an increase from December by 929 people.
Unemployment is higher in the capital area than it is in the rest of the country, at 9.5% and 8.1% respectively. The highest unemployment rate can be found in Suðurnes, at 14.5%, and the lowest is in the West Fjords, at 3.4%.
More men than women are unemployed and becoming unemployed – 9.9% of men and 7.9% of women are currently on the dole, and unemployment has increased by 7.4% among men and 5.7% among women.