In the second quarter of 2024, the unemployment rate in Estonia was 7.6%, the employment rate was 69.7%, and the labour force participation rate was 75.4%; the number of unemployed people was down by 1,100 compared with the previous quarter; however, compared with Q2 2023, the number of the unemployed increased by 7,600.
According to Tea Vassiljeva, an analyst at Statistics Estonia, the country’s official statistics agency, unemployment increased the most among young people – those aged 15-24.
“The number of young people who were unemployed was up by 5,500 compared with the first quarter and up by 4,800 compared with the second quarter of 2023,” she said, adding that there was also an increase in the number of people who had been unemployed for a year or more.
In the 25-49 age group, the number of unemployed in the second quarter was 4,200 lower than in the first quarter, but still 6,100 higher than in the second quarter of last year.
More people become self-employed
The number of people in employment increased due to an increase in self-employment. The proportion of people in self-employment reached 10.6% in the second quarter of this year, up from 13.4% in the same period last year.
The latest figures show an increase in the labour force participation rate for the third consecutive quarter. This rate, which represents the proportion of the population aged 15 to 74 who are either employed or actively seeking work, has now risen above 75% for the first time in the second quarter of this year.
The Labour Force Survey statistics include permanent residents of Estonia who live or plan to live in Estonia for at least a year or more. The number of temporarily protected Ukrainian refugees included in the Labour Force Survey is too small to give estimates on them.
