Employees
20. May 2026
30,419 employees in April — 380 more than the year before
The number of employees continues to rise, but in recent years growth has weakened. This can be seen in the trend, which describes developments after removing seasonal variation and other random changes.
In April there were 30,419 employees in the Faroe Islands. That is 382 employees, or 1.3%, more than in the same month the year before.
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In April there were around 15,500 men and 14,900 women among employees. That is 230 (1.5%) more men and 150 (1%) more women than in the same month the previous year.
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Women working under public control are steadily increasing
More than half (57%) of employees work for employers under private control, and the rest (43%) for employers under public control. However, when looking at each sex separately, the distribution is different. Almost two out of three women work for an employer under public control, while among men it is only one in four.
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The graph below shows that in most recent year the group with the largest proportional increase is women working for employers under public control. Among employers under private control, women, by contrast, have seen a slight negative trend.
For men, the picture is different. Men working for employers under private control have steadily increased in number in recent years, although the growth is lower than it was previous to 2020. The number of men working for employers under public control has remained fairly stable over time.
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Largest increase in number in 'Transportation and storage'
The two largest economic activities are 'Human health and social work activities' and 'Public administration and defence', both of which also had an increase in the number of employees compared with April last year. The largest increase in numbers compared with the same month last year was in 'Transportation and storage', with 115 people.
In some economic activities, however, the number has decreased compared with April last year. In 'Agriculture, forestry and fishing', the number decreased by 122 employees. This is mainly due to a decrease in pelagic fishing and aquaculture. Other economic activities where the number has decreased are 'Accommodation and food service activities', 'Construction' and 'Financial and insurance activities'.
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About the employee statistics
Statistics Faroe Islands’ employee statistics include covers persons aged 13 years or older, resident in the Faroe Islands, who in the month receive A-taxable wages corresponding to 4 hours per month or more through the pay-as-you-earn (PAYE) tax system. In addition, persons in temporary absence (e.g., illness and parental leave) are also included, whether or not they receive pay.
Statistics on employees follow the guidelines in the manuals on employees and jobs from the International Labour Organisation (ILO) under the United Nations.
Definitions:
- Employees (main job): Main job of an employee is set to be the main activity and institutional sector of the employer from which the largest wage is received. An employee only counts once.
- Employer's main activity: An employer is grouped in to the main activity in which he has the largest economic activity. A person may have several employers, and the employer from which the most wage is paid is set to be the person's main activity of work. Main activity is not necessarily the actual economic activity of the work done for the wages paid as an employer may cover several economic activities. Main activity is based on the international statistical classification of economic activities NACE rev. 2. The first and second level are directly comparable. The third level opens up a few subgroups in order to best portray the national economy.
- Under private control includes 'National Private corporations' + 'Foreign controlled corporations' + 'Rest of the world and not specified'
- Under public control includes 'General government' + 'Public corporations'