Hafnarfjörður will not automatically refill vacant jobs

The municipality of Hafnarfjörður will not automatically refill vacant jobs under a two-year hiring freeze intended to reduce staff numbers and wage costs, mbl.is reported.

The municipal executive committee approved the rules on November 12. A special hiring committee will operate from November 1, 2026, to October 31, 2028. Under the main rule, all hires outside defined core services will require the committee’s approval, including replacements for departing employees and positions already covered by the approved budget.

Exceptions apply to certain jobs in preschools, primary schools and homes for people with disabilities. Staff may be replaced without committee approval when a vacancy results from normal turnover, provided the position already exists, working hours are not increased and the unit remains within its approved wage budget. The exceptions do not cover specialist or management roles. Committee approval is always required if a unit has exceeded its wage budget.

Applications to fill a vacancy must explain why the hire is necessary, how leaving the job vacant would affect services and operations, and whether duties could be dropped or shared among other staff. The municipality must also assess whether the position’s working hours can be reduced.

A Centre Party representative on the committee supports restrictions on hiring but warned that relying on staff turnover could reduce jobs without a full review of priorities. The representative said the municipality still employs staff for work it is not legally required to provide, and argued that such work should be reviewed rather than reducing statutory core services. The party also requested a detailed breakdown of municipal positions by job title and department.

The majority, made up of the Independence Party, Viðreisn and the Social Democratic Alliance, said the freeze would not apply to jobs connected to the municipality’s legal duties. It said statutory core services for residents should continue, and called for further analysis of municipal jobs and tasks to align responsibilities, simplify procedures and examine ways to improve efficiency.