Analytics, Employment, Estonia, Labour-market, Statistics

International Internet Magazine. Baltic States news & analytics Tuesday, 19.03.2024, 03:05

Estonia: The number of job vacancies remains over 10,000

Karina Valma Analyst Enterprise and Agricultural Statistics Department Statistics Estonia, 11.12.2019.Print version
According to Statistics Estonia, in the 3rd quarter of 2019, there were 11,892 job vacancies in the enterprises, institutions and organisations of Estonia. The number of job vacancies has remained above 10,000 since the 1st quarter of 2017.

The number of job vacancies increased by 4% compared to the 3rd quarter of 2018 and by 6% compared to the 2nd quarter of 2019.


The total number of vacant and occupied posts was 609,126, which is nearly 0.3% less than in the previous quarter. The economic activities of manufacturing (18%), wholesale and retail trade (15%) and education (10%) continue to hold the largest shares in the total number of posts. Manufacturing, wholesale and retail trade and education are also the biggest employers in Estonia – in the 3rd quarter of 2019, there were 2,050 job vacancies in wholesale and retail trade, 1,473 job vacancies in education and 1,407 job vacancies in manufacturing. These activities were followed by public administration and defence with 1,125 vacant posts.


The rate of job vacancies, i.e. the share of job vacancies in the total number of posts was 2% in the 3rd quarter of 2019, which is 0.1 percentage points higher than in the 3rd quarter of 2018. The rate of job vacancies was highest in information and communication (3.1%) and in public administration and defence (2.9%), and lowest in mining and quarrying and real estate activities (both 0.2%).


Vacant posts in the public sector accounted for 31% of all job vacancies. The rate of job vacancies was highest in municipal institutions and enterprises (2.7%). In state institutions and enterprises, the rate was 2.2%, and in enterprises owned by Estonian and foreign private entities, 1.6% and 2.3%, respectively.


Most of the vacant posts were in Harju county (75%), incl. Tallinn (63%), followed by Tartu county (8%) and Pärnu county (3%). The rate of job vacancies was highest in Harju (2.6%) and Võru (1.8%) counties and lowest in Hiiu (0.2%) and Lääne-Viru (0.5%) counties. 


The movement of labour is characterised by labour turnover (the total number of engaged and left employees), which amounted to nearly 118,000 in the 3rd quarter of 2019. Labour turnover increased by 18% on the same period of the previous year and by 2% on the previous quarter. Both the number of employees hired and the number of employees who left their job remained highest in wholesale and retail trade, manufacturing and construction. 9% of all the employees who left their job left on the employer’s initiative.









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