Luxembourg
+32%
more for tertiary-educated employees (2025)
Graduate jobs and salaries in Iceland
Updated Data years: 2020, 2025 How we use data
Older data (2020) The latest official figure is from 2020. It may not reflect today's labour market.
Quick answer
In Iceland, employees with tertiary education earned a median of €5,993 a month in 2020 (PPP$ 5,986) — +20% compared with all employees. Their unemployment rate was 2.8%, against 3.5% for all adults aged 25 and over (2025).
Sources: ILOSTAT (ILO)
- +20%degree premium: tertiary-educated vs all employees (2020)
- €5,993median monthly pay with tertiary education (2020)
- 2.8%unemployment, tertiary-educated adults 25+ (all adults: 3.5%, 2025)
Do graduates earn more in Iceland?
| Education level | Local currency a month | PPP$ a month | vs all employees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic education | €3,887 | 3,882 | -22% |
| Intermediate education | €4,717 | 4,711 | -5% |
| Advanced (tertiary) education | €5,993 | 5,986 | +20% |
| All levels | €4,983 | 4,977 | — |
The degree premium ranks 107 of 128 countries with data. That is below the Europe and Central Asia median of +25%.
Earnings over time (PPP$ a month)
Advanced (tertiary) educationAll levels
PPP$ values are in current international dollars, so part of the rise reflects inflation.
Which occupations pay the most in Iceland?
Median monthly earnings by occupation group in 2020, from highest to lowest. Examples link to our career profiles.
| Occupation group | Local currency a month | PPP$ a month | vs all employees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skilled agricultural, forestry and fishery workers | €7,273 | 7,264 | +46% |
| Managers Construction manager, Marketing manager, Project manager, Supply chain manager | €7,002 | 6,993 | +41% |
| Professionals Software developer, Web developer, Data scientist, Data analyst | €6,070 | 6,063 | +22% |
| Technicians and associate professionals IT support technician, Paramedic, Biomedical scientist, Paralegal | €5,194 | 5,188 | +4% |
| Plant and machine operators and assemblers | €5,040 | 5,034 | +1% |
| Craft and related trades workers | €5,035 | 5,029 | +1% |
| Clerical support workers | €4,219 | 4,214 | -15% |
| Elementary occupations | €3,799 | 3,795 | -24% |
| Service and sales workers Police officer | €3,581 | 3,577 | -28% |
| All occupations | €4,983 | 4,977 | — |
Are graduates less likely to be unemployed in Iceland?
| Education level | Adults 25+ | Young people 15–24 |
|---|---|---|
| Basic education | 4.2% | 12.3% |
| Intermediate education | 4.0% | 5.1% |
| Advanced (tertiary) education | 2.8% | — |
| All levels | 3.5% | 9.5% |
Unemployment among tertiary-educated adults is the 34 lowest of 130 countries with data. The Europe and Central Asia median is 3.6%.
Unemployment over time, adults 25+
Advanced (tertiary) educationAll levels
Graduate employment by field of study in Iceland
Employment rate of adults aged 25–64 with tertiary education, by field of study (OECD, 2016).
| Field of study | Employment rate |
|---|---|
| Information and communication technologies Computer science | 97.0% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fisheries and veterinary Agriculture, Veterinary science | 96.0% |
| Health and welfare Biomedical science, Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing | 95.4% |
| Business, administration and law Accounting and finance, Business management, Law, Marketing | 95.2% |
| Social sciences, journalism and information Criminology, Economics, Geography, International relations | 94.4% |
| Engineering, manufacturing and construction Aerospace engineering, Architecture, Chemical engineering, Civil engineering | 92.9% |
| Education Education | 92.2% |
| Natural sciences, mathematics and statistics Biology, Chemistry, Data science, Environmental science | 92.0% |
| Services Hospitality and tourism, Sports science | 91.2% |
| Arts and humanities Design, English literature, History, Modern languages | 90.4% |
| All fields | 93.6% |
Studying and working in Iceland
Rules on student visas, work after graduation and recognition of qualifications change often. Use the official sources below and check the date on any advice you read.
Guide: how to choose a country to study in · Guide: getting your degree recognised abroad
Country context
- Population
- 392.4K (2025)
- GDP per person (PPP)
- $83,431 (2025)
- Tertiary enrolment (gross)
- 76.5% (2023)
Questions about graduate jobs in Iceland
Do graduates earn more than non-graduates in Iceland?
According to the International Labour Organization, employees in Iceland with tertiary education earned a median of €5,993 a month in 2020, compared with €4,983 for all employees — +20%. The degree premium ranks 107 of 128 countries with data.
What is the unemployment rate for graduates in Iceland?
In 2025, the unemployment rate for adults aged 25 and over with tertiary education in Iceland was 2.8%, compared with 3.5% for all adults.
Which jobs pay the most in Iceland?
The best-paid occupation group in Iceland in 2020 was “Skilled agricultural, forestry and fishery workers”, with median monthly earnings of €7,273 (PPP$ 7,264). Professionals, the group that includes most graduate careers, earned a median of €6,070.
Compare with other countries in Europe and Central Asia
-
-
Estonia
+28%
more for tertiary-educated employees (2025) -
Cyprus
+23%
more for tertiary-educated employees (2025) -
Latvia
+28%
more for tertiary-educated employees (2025) -
Slovenia
+29%
more for tertiary-educated employees (2025) -
Moldova
+39%
more for tertiary-educated employees (2025)
Sources
- ILOSTAT — Median monthly earnings of employees by education — HIES - EU Statistics on Income and Living Conditions, 2020
- ILOSTAT — Median monthly earnings of employees by occupation — HIES - EU Statistics on Income and Living Conditions, 2020
- ILOSTAT — Unemployment rate by age and education — LFS - EU Labour Force Survey, 2025
- OECD — Education at a Glance, labour-market outcomes — Relative earnings and employment by field of study
- World Bank — World Development Indicators — Population, GDP per person (PPP) and tertiary enrolment
How to cite this page: CourseToJob (2026). Iceland: graduate salaries, jobs and unemployment. https://coursetojob.com/countries/iceland/ (accessed September 26, 2026)
Notes from the data source
- Age coverage - minimum age: 16 years old
- Repository: Eurostat special tabulation