The numbers of unemployed and employed persons both increased last year
According to Statistics Estonia, in 2024, the unemployment rate was 7.6%, the employment rate was 68.9%, and the labour force participation rate was 74.6%.
Tea Vassiljeva, analyst at Statistics Estonia, said that the average number of the unemployed in 2024 was 57,100 which is 9,400 more than in 2023. “Compared with 2023, unemployment increased in all age groups and among both men and women. The unemployment rate in 2024 was 7.6%. It was 1.2 percentage points higher than in 2023,” explained Vassiljeva. She added that female and male unemployment rates were similar – 7.5% and 7.6%, respectively.
Unemployment indicators went up sharply in the first quarter of 2024. “For the rest of the year, there was gentle decline and stabilisation. The unemployment rate in the fourth quarter was 7.4%, the same as in the third quarter,” noted Vassiljeva.
Last year, there was also a rise in the number of employed persons. “In 2024, the average number of the employed was 698,600 which is 4,000 more than the year before. Nevertheless, the employment rate was 68.9% in 2024, down by 0.3 percentage points from 2023,” she said.
Employment increased among women, especially in the age group 65+, while the number of employed men decreased slightly. Compared with 2023, the number of employed women grew by 4,400 in 2024, whereas 2,500 of them were in the age group 65–74. The number of employed men was down by 400.
Regionally, the number of employed persons increased in Northern Estonia, Southern Estonia and Northeastern Estonia. The number of the employed was unchanged in Central Estonia and decreased in Western Estonia.
Employment increased in some economic activities and decreased in others
Employment increased in the agricultural sector and in accommodation and food service activities. In both of these economic activities, the number of employed persons was the highest of the last five years. In manufacturing, employment was up in the manufacture of food products and manufacture of electrical equipment. In trade, the number of employed persons grew in the sale of motor vehicles. The number of employed persons increased in sports activities and amusement and recreation activities, and to a lesser degree also in construction.
“The biggest decrease in the number of employed persons was registered in the manufacture of computer, electronic and optical products. In manufacturing as a whole, there were 8,900 fewer employed persons. Employment also declined in human health and social work activities, as in 2024 there were 3,900 fewer employed persons, compared with 2023,” explained Vassiljeva.
The numbers of unemployed and employed persons both increased
Vassiljeva said that the simultaneous increase in the numbers of the unemployed and the employed was firstly possible due to the fact that the working-age population in Estonia increased by 9,600 in 2024. Additionally, more people became economically active, as the number of economically inactive people fell by 3,700. “As a result, the labour force participation rate increased. It was 74.6% in 2024, rising by 0.7 percentage points compared with 2023,” said Vassiljeva.
The Labour Force Survey statistics include permanent residents of Estonia who live or plan to live in Estonia for at least a year or more. The number of temporarily protected Ukrainian refugees included in the Labour Force Survey is too small to give estimates on them. More information about Ukrainians in the Estonian labour market can be found in the dedicated section of short-term statistics on our website.
More detailed data have been published in the statistical database. See also the labour market section on our website, and the labour market application of Statistics Estonia and the Ministry of Social Affairs at tooturg.stat.ee (in Estonian).
N.B. Starting from 15 May 2024, annual and quarterly data about the labour market are published in separate tables. Visit Statistics Estonia’s website for more information.
When using Statistics Estonia’s data and graphs, please indicate the source.
For further information:
Heidi Kukk
Media Relations Manager
Marketing and Dissemination Department
Statistics Estonia
Tel +372 625 9181
press [at] stat.ee (press[at]stat[dot]ee)