No statutory minimum wage – but pay and terms may never be lower than in the collective agreements, and you get at least 24 working days of holiday a year. 85.8% of people aged 20–64 have a job (EU: 76.1%) and unemployment is 4.5%. Find out where to look, how to register and get your ID number (kennitala), and how tax works.
The best official signal of where employers are hiring is the job vacancy rate. According to EURES, the sectors with the highest job vacancy rates are:
The biggest employers by sector are wholesale and retail trade (18.5% of jobs), manufacturing (15.2%), construction (11.8%) and accommodation and food services (11.4%).
Public-sector vacancies – in health care, education, research, administration and specialist roles – are listed on the government job board Starfatorg; when we checked in October 2026 it showed 176 open positions.
For graduates, health care, education and public services look most promising – and Icelandic is a big advantage everywhere.
Key figures: Eurostat (population on 1 January 2026; unemployment and employment rates 2025; minimum wages July 2026); for the United Kingdom – Office for National Statistics; for Liechtenstein – national statistics. Country information: EURES – Living and working conditions, public employment services and the official government websites listed under each country. Rules, thresholds and amounts can change – check the official sources before you move. Updated: October 2026.
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