Part-time employment decreased in the second quarter
According to Statistics Estonia, in the second quarter of 2021, the labour force participation rate was 70.6%, the employment rate was 65.8%, and the unemployment rate was 6.9%.
Katriin Põlluäär, analyst at Statistics Estonia, said that there were no major changes in the labour market compared to the first quarter of the year. “In the second quarter, there was a slight fall in the labour force participation rate and in the employment and unemployment rates, compared to the previous quarter. The number of employed persons aged 15–74 was 641,900,” added Põlluäär.
The number of persons employed part-time decreased by 8% compared to the previous quarter, whereas the number of men in part-time employment fell by 7.4%. There were 90,200 persons working part-time in the first quarter, while now their number was 83,200. The number of women working part-time (60,800) was nearly three times higher than the corresponding number of men (22,400). The decreased number of men employed part-time was also the reason for the lower overall number of persons in part-time employment.
There was also a decrease in the number of underemployed persons, that is, persons who work part-time but would like to work more and are available for additional work within two weeks. The number of underemployed persons fell from 8,600 to 7,500.
The number of unemployed persons also began to decline in the second quarter and is moving towards the pre-crisis level. There were 47,300 unemployed persons, which is 1,500 less than in the first quarter of 2021 and 1,700 less than in the second quarter of 2020. Over a half of the unemployed had been without work for less than six months. There were also fewer persons who had been unemployed for 12 months or more. There were more men than women among the unemployed. The unemployment rate was the highest in North-Eastern Estonia – 12.6%, which is almost twice as high as the Estonian average.
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 conducted by Statistics Estonia since 1995. Every quarter, 5,000 persons participate in the survey. The main representative of public interest for this statistical activity is the Ministry of Social Affairs, commissioned by whom Statistics Estonia collects and analyses the data required for this statistical activity. Due to the requirements of the Integrated European Social Statistics (IESS) regulation, as of 2021, the Estonian Labour Force Survey is based on a new methodology.
The data on the first quarter of 2021 were revised on 16 August 2021.
More detailed data have been published in the statistical database.
See also the labour market application of Statistics Estonia and the Ministry of Social Affairs at tooturg.stat.ee (in Estonian).
For further information:
Kadri Kütt
Media Relations Manager
Marketing and Dissemination Department
Statistics Estonia
Tel +372 625 9181