The number of job vacancies remains over 10,000

The number of job vacancies was at the same level in the 4th quarter of 2017, but compared to the 3rd quarter of 2018, the number of job vacancies decreased by 8%. In 2018, there were approximately 10,575 job vacancies in the 1st quarter, approximately 11,430 job vacancies in the 2nd quarter and approximately 11,440 job vacancies in the 3rd quarter.

The total number of posts (vacant and occupied) was 597,500 in the 4th quarter of 2018, having decreased by 0.5% compared to the previous quarter. The economic activities of manufacturing (18%), wholesale and retail trade (15%) and education (10%) continued to have the largest shares in the total number of posts. Manufacturing and wholesale and retail trade are the biggest employers in Estonia – in the 4th quarter of 2018, there were respectively 1,747 and 1,756 job vacancies in these activities. Manufacturing and wholesale and retail trade were followed by public administration and defence with 928 vacant posts.

The rate of job vacancies, i.e. the share of job vacancies in the total number of posts, was 1.8% in the 4th quarter of 2018, which is 0.1 percentage points lower than in the 4th quarter of 2017. In the 4th quarter, the rate of job vacancies was highest in information and communication (3.0%) and public administration and defence (2.4%) and lowest in real estate activities (0.5%) and in mining and quarrying (0.2%).

In the 4th quarter, 29% of the vacant posts were in the public sector. The rate of job vacancies was highest in enterprises owned by foreign private entities (2.2%) and in municipal institutions and enterprises (2.1%). The rate of job vacancies was 1.8% in state institutions and enterprises and 1.5% in enterprises owned by Estonian private entities.

Most of the vacant posts were available in Harju county (72%), including Tallinn (60%), followed by Tartu county (9%) and Ida-Viru (6%) and Pärnu counties (5%). The rate of job vacancies was highest in Harju (2.1%) and Rapla (2.1%) counties and lowest in Hiiu (0.4%), Põlva (0.5%) and Võru (0.5%) counties. 

The movement of labour is characterised by labour turnover (the total number of engaged and left employees), which amounted to nearly 100,200 in the 4th quarter of 2018, remaining at the same level compared to the 3rd quarter and the 4th quarter of 2017. In the 4th quarter of 2018, both the number of employees hired and the number of employees who left their job were highest in wholesale and retail trade, manufacturing and construction. 10% of all the employees who left their job were employees who left on the employer’s initiative.

Statistics Estonia conducts the vacant and occupied posts and labour turnover survey since 2005. From 2018 onwards, data on job vacancies are collected with the new questionnaire “Wages and salaries and labour force”. In 2018, the sample included 8,350 enterprises, institutions and organisations, and non-profit organisations with less than 50 employees were included in the population.

Since 2018, Statistics Estonia has used the data of the employment register of the Estonian Tax and Customs Board to estimate the number of occupied posts and labour turnover.

Until 2018, the number of vacant and occupied posts were published as on the 15th day of the second month of a quarter. Since 2018, the quarterly average number of job vacancies and occupied posts have been published as at the end of the month. The number of job vacancies is the quarterly average number of job vacancies as at the end of the month. 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 seeking a suitable candidate from outside the enterprise, institution or organisation concerned.

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.