In the 3rd quarter, the number of job vacancies increased

Compared to the 3rd quarter of 2016, when the number of job vacancies reached 11,000, in the 3rd quarter of 2017, the number of job vacancies increased by 15%.

The number of job vacancies in the 3rd quarter of 2017 was slightly higher than in the 2nd quarter, when job vacancies numbered 12,000. Compared to the previous quarter, this indicator rose 6%.

The economic activities of manufacturing (20%), wholesale and retail trade (15%) and education (10%) continued to have the largest shares in the total number of posts (vacant and occupied). These activities are also the biggest job offerors, i.e. the number of job vacancies is also the highest there. The total number of posts in the 3rd quarter was over 558,000. It increased 0.7% compared to the 3rd quarter of 2017 and decreased 0.5% compared to the 2nd quarter.

The rate of job vacancies, i.e. the share of job vacancies in the total number of posts, was 2.3% in the 3rd quarter of 2017, which is 0.1 percentage points higher than in the previous quarter and 0.3 percentage points higher than in the 3rd quarter of 2016.

In the 3rd quarter, the rate of job vacancies was highest in education (3.2%), accommodation and food service activities (3.1%) and information and communication (3.0%).The rate of job vacancies was lowest in agriculture, forestry and fishing (0.7%), real estate activities (0.8%) and mining and quarrying (0.9%).

Compared the previous quarter, in the 3rd quarter, the number of job vacancies increased in the public sector, but the majority of vacant posts (71%) were in the private sector. In the 3rd quarter of 2017, the rate of job vacancies was highest in state institutions and enterprises (2.9%) and foreign private sector enterprises (2.8%). The rate of job vacancies was lowest in Estonian private sector enterprises (1.9%) and in local government organisations (2.3%).

Most of the vacant posts were in Harju county (64%), incl. 49% in Tallinn, followed by Tartu county (10%) and Ida-Viru county (5%). The number of vacant posts was lowest in Hiiu, Põlva, Lääne and Jõgeva counties.

The movement of labour is characterised by labour turnover (the total number of engaged employees and those who have left), which amounted to nearly 94,500 in the 2nd quarter of 2017, denoting a 20% increase compared to the previous quarter and a 1% increase compared to the 2nd quarter of 2016. Compared to the 2nd quarter of 2016, the largest decrease in labour turnover occurred in other service activities (28%), accommodation and food service activities (20%) and in water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities (20%). The largest increase occurred in mining and quarrying (32%) and manufacturing (13%). In the 2nd quarter of 2017, both the number of employees hired and the number of employees who left their job were highest in manufacturing and wholesale and retail trade.

The data are based on the statistical activity “Job vacancies and labour turnover”, conducted by Statistics Estonia since 2005. In 2017, the sample includes 12,600 enterprises, institutions and organisations; the data of randomly selected units are imputed to the total population separately in each stratum. As of the 2nd quarter of 2016, Statistics Estonia uses the data of the Employment Register of the Estonian Tax and Customs Board to pre-fill the survey questionnaires. The main representative of public interest for the statistical activity is the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, commissioned by whom Statistics Estonia collects and analyses the data necessary for conducting the statistical activity.

The number of job vacancies is the total number of job vacancies on the 15th day of the second month of a quarter. A job vacancy is a paid post that is newly created, unoccupied or becomes vacant when an employee leaves, and for which the employer is actively trying to find a suitable candidate from outside the enterprise, institution or organisation concerned.