Statistical Yearbook reflects in figures the life of Estonia in the first decade of the 21st century

At the presentation, Statistics Estonia looks back on the year 2009 and seeks an answer to the question “Which is the situation in the social and economic life in 2010?” Is there anything positive besides negative news?

Economic recession appeared to be unexpectedly sharp in 2009, therefore a lot of enterprises had to adapt quickly and decisively to new circumstances. Altogether the economy slipped back to its mid-decade level.

“Economic recession has its pluses,” admitted principal analyst Aavo Heinlo, who gives an overview at the presentation of how enterprises have coped. “It worked as natural selection in the business sector: eliminated the weak, stopped the borrowing boom and spending and forced the survivors to be effective and introduce organisational as well as marketing innovations,” he said. Mr. Heinlo describes that at the beginning of 2010 the downward curves gave way to signs of recovery as exports and industrial production started to grow. “Innovation, fulfilment of the euro criteria and a hope for an improvement in the global economic situation are like a balm for Estonia’s economy,” points out Mr. Heinlo.

At the presentation, principal analyst Siim Krusell outlines the social and demographic trends and states that the year 2009 was a complicated one for a lot of households and a tough task for the state and local governments. “A lot of problems which emerged at the end of 2008 or in 2009 have aggravated this year,” he noted. As an example he marks that unemployment was on a record high level at the beginning of 2010. “In the 1st quarter, every fifth economically active working-age person was seeking a job and the labour market indicators look worse now than after the crisis of the end of 1990s,” he mentioned. Mr. Krusell admits that the high level of unemployment is currently one of the most crucial problems which will have short- and long-term impacts on a lot of spheres in life. Whether unemployment is growing, has stabilised or even decreased a bit — this will become clear in mid-August when Statistics Estonia is going to release the unemployment indicators for the 2nd quarter.

According to Mr. Krusell, the fact that people have evaluated their economic coping in 2009 as worse than a year before is a proof of the gravity of situation. In 2008 people coping with great difficulties accounted for 8% and people coping with some difficulties comprised 32% of the population, but in 2009 the respective indicators were 15% and 36%.

Today, on 30 July, at 13.00, there will be a presentation of the Yearbook to journalists in the Information Centre of Statistics Estonia (15 Endla St, ground floor).