Estonia's registered unemployment drops below 40,000
Estonia averaged 38,000 registered unemployed in the third quarter of 2026, 13 percent fewer than a year earlier. The labor market is improving as vacancies have risen and competition for jobs has eased.
Estonia's labor market improved in the third quarter of 2026, with fewer registered unemployed people, more job openings and less competition for each vacancy. The figures come from the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund (EUIF), the state agency that works with jobseekers and job offers.
The quarterly average stood at 38,000 registered unemployed, which is 5,600, or 13 percent, fewer than a year earlier. The share of the working-age labor force registered as unemployed fell from 6.3 to 5.5 percent. The number has now been under 40,000 for two quarters in a row, a level last recorded in the first quarter of 2020.
More vacancies
The fund had an average of 5,250 job openings to fill during the quarter, more than 25 percent higher than a year before. Vacancies grew most in manufacturing, professional, scientific and technical activities, trade and construction.
EUIF board member Brit Rammul said the figures point to a modest recovery. She noted there are fewer registered unemployed and more job offers, but opportunities differ by sector, and finding work still depends on applicants' skills and which workers employers need.
Easing competition
There were on average seven registered unemployed people per vacancy, down from 11 a year earlier. Competition was toughest in finance and insurance, with 255 registered unemployed per vacancy, followed by information and communications with 66. In administrative and support services there were four per vacancy, and in craft and related trades three.
The profile of the registered unemployed changed little over the year. The shares of older people, university graduates, managers and senior specialists rose slightly, while the shares of young people, those without vocational qualifications and unskilled workers declined. There were also fewer unemployed who do not speak Estonian and fewer long-term unemployed. The gender breakdown remained largely unchanged.
