Employees
20. Apr 2026
30,513 employees in March — 670 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 March there were 30,513 employees in the Faroe Islands. That is 674 employees, or 2.6%, more than in the same month the year before.
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In March there were just under 15,650 men and 14,870 women among employees. That is 442 (or 2.9%) more men and 232 (or 1.6%) more women than in the same month the year before.
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The gender distribution of employees in March was therefore 48.7% women and 51.3% men.
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One in four men works in the public sector
More than half (57%) of employees work for employers under private control, and the remaining 43% work for employers under public control. However, when looking at each gender separately, the distribution is different — almost two in three women work for an employer under public control, whereas among men it is only one in four.
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Nine in ten in 'Human health and social work activities' are women
As mentioned, almost two in three women work in the public sector, and this is reflected in the breakdown by economic activity. The economic activity with the highest share of women is 'Human health and social work activities', where 87.6% are women. Other economic activities where the share of women is high are 'Public administration and defence; compulsory social security' and 'Education'.
The largest gender imbalance, however, is in 'Construction', where 91.7% are men. The share of men is also particularly high in 'Agriculture, forestry and fishing' and 'Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities'.
The economic activity with the most even gender distribution is 'Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles', where 51% of employees are women and 49% are men.
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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'