In the 4th quarter of 2016, there were nearly 9,000 job vacancies

The share of vacant and occupied posts in the total number of posts continued to be highest in manufacturing (19%), wholesale and retail trade (16%) and education (10%).

The rate of job vacancies, i.e. the share of job vacancies in the total number of jobs, was 1.7% in the 4th quarter of 2016, which is 0.3 percentage points lower than in the 3rd quarter of 2016 and 0.4 percentage points higher than in the 4th quarter of 2015.

In the 4th quarter, the rate of job vacancies was highest in other service activities (4.0%), accommodation and food service activities (3.7%), information and communication (3.3%) and administrative and support service activities (3.0%). The rate of job vacancies was lowest in mining and quarrying (0.4%), construction (0.5%) and agriculture, forestry and fishing (0.7%).

Compared to the 4th quarter of 2015, the rate of job vacancies increased the most in other service activities and accommodation and food service activities. The rate of job vacancies decreased the most in financial and insurance activities.

Most of the vacant posts were in Harju county (72%), including Tallinn (63%), followed by Tartu county (8%) and Ida-Viru county (5%). The rate of job vacancies was highest in Harju county and lowest in Saare, Lääne-Viru and Viljandi counties.

Three quarters, or 75% of the vacant posts were in the private sector and every forth vacant post was in the public sector. In the 4th quarter of 2016, the rate of job vacancies continued to be highest in foreign private-sector enterprises (2.2%) and state organisations (2.1%). The rate of job vacancies was lowest in local government organisations (1.0%).

The movement of labour is characterised by labour turnover (the total number of engaged employees and those who have left), which amounted to nearly 90,000 in the 3rd quarter of 2016, denoting a 4% decrease compared to the previous quarter and a 2% increase compared to the 3rd quarter of 2015. Compared to the 3rd quarter of 2015, the largest increase in labour turnover occurred in mining and quarrying (39.7%), water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities (19.2%) and other service activities (19%), and the largest decrease in real estate activities (29.3%). In the 3rd quarter, both the number of employees hired and the number of employees who left their jobs were highest in wholesale and retail trade and manufacturing.

The data are based on the statistical activity “Job vacancies and labour turnover”, conducted by Statistics Estonia since 2005. In 2016, the sample included 12,603 enterprises, institutions and organisations; the data of randomly selected units are imputed to the total population separately in each stratum. As of the 2nd quarter of 2016, Statistics Estonia uses the data of the Employment Register of the Estonian Tax and Customs Board to pre-fill the survey questionnaires. 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.

The number of job vacancies is the total number of job vacancies on the 15th day of the second month of a quarter. A job vacancy is a paid post that is newly created, unoccupied or becomes vacant when an employee leaves, and for which the employer is actively trying to find a suitable candidate from outside the enterprise, institution or organisation concerned.