Coalition parties clash over public-sector hiring freeze

The Faroe Islands’ coalition parties are divided over a proposed hiring freeze in public administration, Kringvarp Føroya (KVF) reports. Fróði Magnussen says it could save 170 million kroner over three years, while Social Affairs Minister Margit Stórá calls the proposal populist.

Magnussen, who has used the approach at his own company, Formula, argues that when an employee leaves, the job should not automatically be filled. He says technology or artificial intelligence could instead be used to handle the work, freeing public funds for other purposes.

Stórá, from the Social Democratic Party, has rejected the proposal. The disagreement has set the Social Democratic Party against the People’s Party over public-sector jobs.