Words by

Nanna Árnadóttir

@nannaarnadottir

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BenAveling/Wikimedia Commons

Foreign nationals now comprise 10.3% of the work force, reports Vísir.

That is roughly 2000 more than in 2008 and just over 20.000 people in total. That means 1 in 10 people working in Iceland today are from abroad.

“It’s actually less foreign labour than we expected,” said Karl Stefánsson of the Directorate of Labour. “We just don’t really have enough of a labour force domestically to meet any further growth in the construction industry. The only way to counter it would be if the Icelanders who moved to Norway after the economic crash came home.”