Employees
18. Jun 2026
30.400 employees in May — up 450 year-on-year
The number of employees continues to increase, but in recent years the growth has weakened. This is shown by the trend, which describes developments after adjusting for seasonal variations and other random changes.
In May, there were 30,377 employees in the Faroe Islands. That is 448 employees (1.5%) more than one year ago.
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In May, there were around 15,450 men and 14,900 women among employees. This is 290 (1.9%) more men, and 160 (1.1%) more women compared with the same month last year.
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Large municipalities have the largest growth
Tórshavn Municipality accounted for around 45% of the growth in employees when compared with the same month last year. In addition, the number of employees has increased particularly in Klaksvík Municipality, Eystur Municipality and Runavík Municipality. In relative terms, however, the growth was largest in Hov Municipality, at 25%.
Compared with the same month the previous year, nine of the 29 municipalities experienced a decrease in employee numbers — most in Kvívík Municipality.
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Numbers have increased across the country
Broken down by the seven regions, the number of employees has increased in six of them when compared with the same month last year. The only region that did not have growth was the Streymoy region (north) where the number is unchanged.
In relative terms, the growth was largest in the Eysturoy region, at 2.4%. In numbers, however, Streymoy region (south) experienced the largest growth.
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More regional statistics on employees are found here: Eysturoy region, Norðoyggjar region, Sandoy region, Streymoy region (north), Streymoy region (south), Suðuroy region, Vágar region.
About the employee statistics
The employee statistics cover persons aged 13 years or older, resident in the Faroe Islands, who in the month receive A-taxable (taxed at source) 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 wages.
Statistics on employees and jobs follow the guidelines in the manuals on employees and jobs from the International Labour Organization (ILO) under the United Nations.
Definitions
Employee (main job) is the total number of persons in employment. The job is based on where the person receives the highest pay from. A person is counted only once.
Municipality and region of residence refer to where the person lives and not where the job is.