Labour Market

A large proportion of the Greenlandic labour market are public jobs in municipalities or the Government of Greenland. In towns, most people work as employees. In settlements, a large proportion are mainly huntsmen and fishermen. In general, the Greenlandic labour market follow the Scandinavian model, having employee- and employer organizations, wage agreements and an extensive legislation for worker protection, arbitration, vacation and workers compensation. Persons without Danish or Nordic citizenship need a residence and work permit.

The unemployed part of the work force has a high proportion of unskilled workers. Around 83 per cent have no education apart from primary school. For the highly educated, the unemployment rate is very low.

Another distinct feature in the Greenlandic labour market is a large seasonal variation in employment, due to the climate and the geographic dispersion, which limits mobility.