Employees
18. Sep 2026
30,211 employees in August — 860 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 August there were 30,211 employees in the Faroe Islands. That is 858 employees, or 2.9%, more than in the same month the year before.
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In August there were around 15,400 men and 14,900 women among employees. That is 520 (3.5%) more men and 340 (2.3%) 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, the number of women is nearly unchanged in recent years.
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 'Public administration and defence'
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 August last year. The latter having the largest increase in numbers compared with the same month last year with 221 people.
In some economic activities, however, the number has decreased compared with August last year. In 'Agriculture, forestry and fishing', the number decreased by 70 employees. This is mainly due to a decrease in pelagic fishing and aquaculture.
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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'