The Estonian social ministry and the Unemployment Insurance Fund are to offer job mediation to those short-term foreign workers who have lost their jobs in Estonia, but have the right to continue working, in order to more flexibly match the labour supply and the need for seasonal labour.
Job mediation will be offered to those short-term foreign workers who have lost their jobs, in order to more flexibly match the labour supply and the need for seasonal labour.
“In the crisis, there have been foreigners who have lost their jobs and their right to work for a short time is still valid, but leaving Estonia is difficult due to travel restrictions. We wish that these potential workers could meet with employers in labour shortages in agriculture and other sectors,” the Estonian social minister, Tanel Kiik, said in a statement.
“With this, we are alleviating both the shortage of seasonal workers and unemployment among short-term workers, which is why we have also made the conditions of job mediation offered by the Unemployment Insurance Fund more flexible.”
Free of charge
In order to alleviate the labour shortage in the agricultural sector caused by the coronavirus and international movement restrictions, the Estonian Aliens Act allows, by way of exception, short-term workers whose period of employment has ended to work in the agricultural sector until the end of July. Widening job mediation helps alleviate agricultural labour shortages in particular, the ministry said.
Under normal circumstances, a short-term foreign worker has the right to register as a jobseeker and receive job mediation only during employment if they wish to change jobs.
To receive a job mediation, the short-term foreign worker must register as a jobseeker by applying to the Unemployment Insurance Fund either on the spot or by phone.
The job mediation service is free of charge for both jobseekers and employers.
Cover: A cheese farm in Estonia. The image is illustrative. Photo by Renee Altrov.
