Analytics, Employment, Estonia, Labour-market, Markets and Companies

Compared to the 2nd quarter of 2016, when the number of job vacancies reached 9,500, in the 2nd quarter of 2017, the number of job vacancies increased by 26%.

The number of job vacancies in the 2nd quarter of 2017 was slightly higher than in the 1st quarter, when the number of job vacancies was 11,200. Compared to the previous quarter, the number of job vacancies increased by 7%.

The share of vacant and occupied posts in the total number of posts continued to be the highest in manufacturing (20%), wholesale and retail trade (15%) and education (10%). The total number of posts in the 2nd quarter was over 561,000.

The rate of job vacancies, i.e. the share of job vacancies in the total number of posts was 2.1% in the 2nd quarter of 2017, which is 0.1 percentage points higher than in the previous quarter, and 0.4 percentage points higher than in the 2nd quarter of 2016.

In the 2nd quarter, the rate of job vacancies was the highest in accommodation and food service activities (4.3%) and in administrative and support service activities (3.0%). The rate of job vacancies was the lowest in real estate activities (0.7%) and in mining and quarrying (0.8%).

More than three quarters (78%) of the vacant posts were in the private sector. In the 2nd quarter of 2017, the rate of job vacancies was the highest in state organisations (2.6%) and foreign private-sector institutions (2.9%). The rate of job vacancies was the lowest in local authority organisations (1.1%).

Most of the vacant posts were in Harju county (67%) (including 51% in Tallinn), followed by Tartu county (9%) and Ida-Viru county (6%). The number of vacant posts was the lowest in Jõgeva, Hiiu and Rapla counties.

The movement of labour is characterised by labour turnover (the total number of engaged employees and those who have left), which amounted to nearly 78,700 in the 1st quarter of 2017, denoting a 3% decrease compared to the previous quarter and an 8% increase compared to the 1st quarter of 2016. Compared to the 1st quarter of 2016, the largest decrease in labour turnover occurred in mining and quarrying (35%) and in information and communication (20%), and the largest increase in real estate activities (41%), financial and insurance activities (31%) and manufacturing (24%). In the 1st quarter of 2017, both the number of employees hired and the number of employees who left their job were the highest in manufacturing and wholesale and retail trade.

The data are based on the statistical activity “Job vacancies and labour turnover”, conducted by Statistics Estonia since 2005. In 2017, the sample includes 12,600 enterprises, institutions and organisations; the data of randomly selected units are imputed to the total population separately in each stratum. As of the 2nd quarter of 2016, Statistics Estonia uses the data of the Employment Register of the Estonian Tax and Customs Board to pre-fill the survey questionnaires. The main representative of public interest for the statistical activity is the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, commissioned by whom Statistics Estonia collects and analyses the data necessary for conducting the statistical activity. The number of job vacancies is the total number of job vacancies on the 15th day of the second month of a quarter. A job vacancy is a paid post that is newly created, unoccupied or becomes vacant when an employee leaves, and for which the employer is actively trying to find a suitable candidate from outside the enterprise, institution or organisation concerned.