Iceland Jobless Rate Rises to 6-Month High

2026-09-23 09:49 By Erika Ordonez 1 min. read

Iceland’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose to 6.8% in August 2026, the highest level since February, following an upwardly revised 6.6% in July.

The number of unemployed persons increased by 0.7 thousand month-on-month to 15.9 thousand, including 10.9 thousand men and 5.0 thousand women.

The youth unemployment rate, which measures job-seekers between 16 and 24 years old, climbed to 14.2% from 6.7%, reaching its highest level since May.

Meanwhile, the employment rate edged up to 73.7% from 73.5% in July, with the number of employed individuals rising by 1.2 thousand to 217.8 thousand.

The labor force participation rate ticked higher to 79.0% from 78.7%.

On a non-seasonally adjusted basis, the unemployment rate rose to 6.0% in August from 5.5% in the previous month.



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Iceland Jobless Rate Rises to 6-Month High
Iceland’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose to 6.8% in August 2026, the highest level since February, following an upwardly revised 6.6% in July. The number of unemployed persons increased by 0.7 thousand month-on-month to 15.9 thousand, including 10.9 thousand men and 5.0 thousand women. The youth unemployment rate, which measures job-seekers between 16 and 24 years old, climbed to 14.2% from 6.7%, reaching its highest level since May. Meanwhile, the employment rate edged up to 73.7% from 73.5% in July, with the number of employed individuals rising by 1.2 thousand to 217.8 thousand. The labor force participation rate ticked higher to 79.0% from 78.7%. On a non-seasonally adjusted basis, the unemployment rate rose to 6.0% in August from 5.5% in the previous month.
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Iceland Unemployment Rate Jumps in July
Iceland’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose to 6.3% in July 2026 from 5.0% in June, reaching its highest level in four months. The number of unemployed people increased by 3,000 month-on-month to 14,500. By gender, the unemployment rate for men rose to 5.7% from 3.4% in June, while the rate for women remained unchanged to 7.0%. Youth unemployment, covering job seekers aged 16 to 24, fell sharply to 6.4% from 12.0% in the previous month. Meanwhile, the employment rate edged down to 73.8%, with the number of employed people falling by 600 to 216,700. The labor force participation rate also inched up to 78.7% from 78.6%. On a non-seasonally adjusted basis, Iceland’s unemployment rate fell to 5.5% in July from 3.9% in June.
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Iceland’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate eased to 5.0% in June 2026 from 5.6% in May, remaining at its lowest level since December 2025. The number of unemployed people fell by 1,600 month-on-month to 11,500. By gender, the unemployment rate for men declined sharply to 3.3% from 6.3% in May, while the rate for women rose to 7.1% from 4.9%. Youth unemployment, covering job seekers aged 16 to 24, decreased to 12.0% from 13.0% in the previous month. Meanwhile, the employment rate edged down to 74.4%, with the number of employed people falling by 2,300 to 218,100. The labor force participation rate also declined to 78.4% from 80.8%. On a non-seasonally adjusted basis, Iceland’s unemployment rate fell to 3.9% in June from 8.3% in May.
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