Job vacancies down by 5.4% in the third quarter
According to Statistics Estonia, in the third quarter of 2025, there were 9,375 job vacancies in the enterprises, institutions, and organisations of Estonia. This is 5.4% less than in the same quarter last year. In the third quarter, 5,432 persons left their job at the initiative of the employer.
Eveli Voolens, team lead of social statistics at Statistics Estonia, noted that Statistics Estonia uses the data of the employment register of the Estonian Tax and Customs Board to estimate the number of occupied posts and labour turnover. Data on job vacancies, however, are collected by Statistics Estonia using a questionnaire.
The rate of job vacancies was 1.6% in the third quarter of 2025
The total number of vacant and occupied posts in the third quarter was 588,494. The number of vacant posts was the highest in education (2,025) and in wholesale and retail trade (1,264). The number of occupied posts, however, was the greatest in manufacturing (98,095), followed by wholesale and retail trade (82,918) and education (60,614).
The rate of job vacancies was 1.6% in the third quarter of 2025, remaining at the same level year on year. Voolens noted that quarterly fluctuations in the number of vacant posts are mostly due to seasonality, but the overall economic situation also plays a role. “For instance, demand for labour is higher during the summer months due to seasonal work. In all seasons, one major factor influencing the labour market is uncertainty, which may be caused, for example, by rising energy costs or a decline in orders of enterprises. These, in turn, have a very direct impact on the need for enterprises to recruit new employees,” she explained.
The number of new hires and departures declined
In the third quarter, 54,798 people were hired. “Year on year, the number of new hires decreased. The number of people leaving their job at the initiative of the employer was down by 387 compared with the third quarter of 2024, accounting for approximately 9% of all those who left their jobs. A year ago, 10% of all those who left their job did so at the initiative of their employer,” Voolens noted.
Compared with the third quarter of last year, the number of people hired and those who left their jobs declined. Labour flows are characterised by labour turnover (the total number of engaged employees and employees who left) which decreased by 1% compared with the third quarter of 2024. “This means that there were slightly fewer new hires and departures in the third quarter of 2025 than a year ago, but the change is marginal and indicates overall stability in labour flows,” she said.
The highest labour turnover in the third quarter of 2025 was seen in education, wholesale and retail trade, and manufacturing. Voolens stated that these sectors saw the largest number of new hires and departures, indicating active labour flow and personnel changes. “More active labour flows, in turn, indicate that labour needs are adjusted more frequently in these sectors, for example, due to changing workloads, personnel planning, seasonality, or labour market competition,” she added.
In the third quarter of 2025, the majority of job vacancies were in Harju county (74.7% of all vacant posts). The largest share of occupied posts was found in Harju county as well (57.3% of all occupied posts), followed by Tartu (11.1%), Ida-Viru (4,5%), and Pärnu (3.9%) counties. “The number of both occupied and vacant posts is usually higher around larger centres, as there are more enterprises, residents, and job opportunities in these regions. It is therefore natural that the labour flows are also higher in such areas,” Voolens noted.
Job vacancy – a paid post that is newly created, unoccupied or about to become vacant, for which the employer is taking active steps and is prepared to take further steps to find a suitable candidate from outside the enterprise/institution/organisation concerned, and which the employer intends to fill either immediately or within a specific period of time.
Number of job vacancies – the quarterly average calculated based on three months' data, as at the end of each month.
Rate of job vacancies – the share of job vacancies in the total number of jobs.
The quarterly average number of vacant and occupied posts is published as at the end of the month. The main representative of public interest for the statistical activity is the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, commissioned by whom Statistics Estonia collects and analyses the data necessary for conducting the statistical activity.
Data as at 8 December are published. The indicator values may change if there are any revisions made in the data sources after this date.
More detailed data have been published in the statistical database.
See also the dedicated section on wages and salaries and labour costs.
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Susann Kivi
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Statistics Estonia
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