Analytics, Covid-19, Employment, Estonia, Labour-market, Markets and Companies

According to Eveli Voolens, leading analyst at Statistics Estonia, the second quarter labour force indicators reflect the impact of the crisis caused by the spread of COVID-19. “Compared to the second quarter of last year, both the employment and labour force participation rates fell. At the same time, the unemployment rate is two percentage points higher,” said Voolens.

In the second quarter, the number of employed persons was 643,900, which is 23,800 less compared to the same quarter of 2019. Full-time employees numbered 560,400, having declined by 24,100 persons year on year. The number of persons employed part-time did not significantly change: there were 83,500 of them. “Compared to the same time last year, employment rate fell by 2.7 percentage points. The female employment rate was 61.2% and the male employment rate 69.8%. Compared to the second quarter of 2019, there were 9,600 fewer males and 14,200 fewer females employed,” added Voolens.

The unemployment rate was 7.1%. There were 49,400 unemployed persons, which is 13,700 persons more than in the second quarter of 2019. The unemployment rate for Estonians was 6.3% and for non-Estonians 8.8%. There were 34,100 persons who had been unemployed for less than half a year, and 9,100 persons had been unemployed for 6–11 months. Long-term unemployed persons totalled 6,100.

The number of inactive persons in the second quarter amounted to 290,900, having increased by 13,300 year on year. The main reasons for inactivity were retirement (91,500), studies (74,200) and illness or disability (57,800).

See the distribution of 15–74-year-olds by employment status in the first quarter of 2020.

The unemployment rate is the share of the unemployed in the labour force (the sum of employed and unemployed persons). The employment rate is the share of the employed in the population aged 15–74. The labour force participation rate shows the share of the labour force in the population aged 15–74. The estimates are based on the data of the Labour Force Survey, which Statistics Estonia has been conducting since 1995. Every quarter, 5,000 persons participate in the survey. For the statistical activity, the main representative of public interest is the Ministry of Social Affairs, commissioned by whom Statistics Estonia collects and analyses the data necessary for conducting the statistical activity.