Estonia: two-thirds of deregistered jobless found employment
Over 90,000 people were removed from Estonia's unemployment register over the past 12 months, with 67% of cases due to finding a job. The Economic Affairs Ministry describes the labour market as stable.
Estonia's Minister of Economic Affairs and Industry Erkki Keldo (Reform Party) has responded to a parliamentary inquiry from Riigikogu member Aleksander Chaplõgin (Centre Party) regarding unemployment registration trends.
Between July 2025 and June 2026, 90,786 unemployment registrations were terminated in Estonia. Of these, 60,922 people, or 67.1%, were deregistered after finding employment. Another 13,270 people (14.6%) ended their registration voluntarily, while 12,919 cases (14.2%) were due to violations of unemployed persons' obligations. Other reasons included various other circumstances (2,351 cases), early retirement (692 cases), and old-age retirement (632 cases).
Number of unemployed declining
According to the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, an average of 7,644 registrations were terminated monthly in 2026, roughly the same as a year earlier. In four of the first six months of the year, the number of deregistrations exceeded new registrations, reducing the overall number of unemployed. At the end of June, 39,506 people were registered with the Unemployment Insurance Fund — the lowest figure in six years.
The ministry also noted growing demand for labour. Although, according to Statistics Estonia, the number of vacancies fell to 8,441 in the first quarter of 2026, the pace of decline has slowed. Meanwhile, the number of job openings advertised through the Unemployment Insurance Fund is rising: in June, 9,984 job postings were published, the highest figure for June in the past two years.
On average over the past year, about 1,008 registrations per month (around 15% of the total) were cancelled due to violations of obligations — such as failing to attend consultations, refusing suitable work, or not fulfilling an individual action plan.
Overall, the ministry assesses the labour market situation as stable. The employment rate among people aged 20–64 reached 81.4% in the first quarter of 2026, compared with an EU average of 76%. The ministry acknowledges that the number of unemployed is declining slowly.
