About Directorate of Labour

Directorate of Labour (Vinnumálastofnun) is responsible to the Minister of Social Affairs and has the management of the employment service within the country as well as the daily expedition of the Unemployment Benefit Fund, the Wage Guarantee Fund, the Childbirth Leave Fund and payments to parents of children with long term illness.

The main tasks of the Directorate of Labour are:

• To supervise the employment service centres and coordinate their activities.

• The Minister of Social Affairs shall appoint local labour market councils of seven-man. The labour market council in each area shall submit a report on the employment situation to the board of the Directorate of Labour, together with proposals on the labour market measures that it recommends should be prioritised the following year. In addition, the labour market councils shall act in an advisory capacity to the relevant service centre of the Directorate of Labour regarding the structure and choice of labour market remedies. 
   
• Directorate of Labour shall at regular intervals gather information on the employment situation, unemployment and employment prospects relating to individual parts of the country. It shall also monitor the composition of the workforce in Iceland. Directorate of Labour shall make regular surveys of the demand of labour and the outlook and need for labour in specific occupations and the issue of work permits to foreign workers. To take care of funds, accounts and the daily operation of the Unemployment Fund in mandate of the fund administration and under supervise and charge of it.

• To take care of funds, accounts and daily expedition for the Unemployment Insurance Fund of self-employed persons in the mandate of the fund administration and supervise.

• To edit work permits in the mandate of the Ministry of Social Affairs. 
   
• To administer the daily expedition of the Vocationalboard of the Ministry of Social Affairs.
  

Directorate of Labour works according to act no.55/2006 on labour market affairs and law no.54/2006 on the Unemployment Benefits Fund as well as regulations which are connected to the law.

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