Analytics, Estonia, Labour-market, Statistics

The number of job vacancies in the 1st quarter of 2017 was more or less the same as the record level reached in the 3rd quarter of 2016, when the number of job vacancies exceeded 11,000 for the first time in seven years. In the 1st quarter, however, the number of job vacancies exceeded the previous record by 140 vacancies. Compared to the 1st quarter of 2016, when the number of job vacancies exceeded 8,200, the number of job vacancies increased by 35%.

The share of vacant and occupied posts in the total number of posts continued to be the highest in manufacturing (19%), wholesale and retail trade (16%) and education (10%).

The rate of job vacancies, i.e. the share of job vacancies in the total number of jobs, was 2.0% in the 1st quarter of 2017, which is 0.3 percentage points higher than in the 4th quarter of 2016 and 0.5 percentage points higher than in the 1st quarter of 2016.

In the 1st quarter, the rate of job vacancies was the highest in administrative and support service activities (4.0%) and accommodation and food service activities (3.2%). The rate of job vacancies was the lowest in water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities (0.9%), mining and quarrying (1.0%) and real estate activities (1.0%).

Most of the vacant posts were available in Harju county (70%) (including 57% in Tallinn), followed by Tartu county (8%) and Ida-Viru county (4%). The rate of job vacancies was the highest in Harju county (2.4%) and the lowest in Hiiu (0.5%), Saare (0.9%) and Valga (1.1%) counties.

Three quarters, or 75% of the vacant posts were in the private sector. In the 1st quarter of 2017, the rate of job vacancies was the highest in state organisations (2.7%) and foreign private-sector institutions (2.5%). The rate of job vacancies was the lowest in local government organisations (1.1%).