Labour market

The working-age population is broadly divided into three: employees, i.e. employed persons; unemployed persons and economically inactive persons. The employed and the unemployed together form the economically active population, i.e. the labour force. Active job search is any activity to find a job or start a business. The inactive population includes those who do not want to or cannot work, such as housewives, non-working students, people with disabilities, etc.

Labour market statistics provide an overview of the labour market situation in Estonia, for example:

• the employment rate;
• the number of salaried employees and their occupations;
• how many people work part-time;
• how many people are unemployed in Estonia;
• the employment rate of the immigrant population;
• how many working-age people are economically inactive;
• educational attainment of the working-age population by economic activity and county.

Labour market statistics are required for planning municipal and state budgets, as well as for preparing national action plans.