Minister of Finance Steingrímur J. Sigfússon responded to criticism that the government isn’t doing enough to develop jobs, calling it “nonsense”.
At a meeting with the Confederation of Icelandic Employers, wherein 300 people representing various industries in the country were in attendance, Vilmundur Jósefsson said that the patience of the people is wearing thin. The minister responded by saying that this criticism was out of sync with reality.
Unemployment in Iceland has reached an all-time high for this government, at about 9.3% in February. The Central Bank expects unemployment to peak some time in June, while the Directorate of Labor has said that the peak has already been reached.
Job creation, in particular in the fields of construction and heavy industry, have been slow going. The Leftist-Greens have always had a platform against the creation of more heavy industry in Iceland.