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Ukrainians in the Estonian labour market

Russia’s aggression against Ukraine has forced millions of Ukrainians to flee their homes and homeland. Many of them have found a new home in Estonia. Ukrainian citizens and their family members who have come to Estonia because of the war can apply for temporary protection, which includes the right to work in the country. Commissioned by the Ministry of Social Affairs and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, Statistics Estonia analyses the employment situation of Ukrainian refugees under temporary protection and the Ukrainian citizens staying in the country on other grounds (residence permit, short-term employment, etc.).

Data on individuals are taken from the population register, and information on the existence of an employment relationship is obtained from the employment register. The data collection methodology is outlined at the bottom of this page.

The charts below describe the employment of Ukrainian citizens who have been granted temporary protection and those staying in Estonia on other grounds.

Labour status

The chart shows the breakdown of Ukrainian citizens with temporary protection and all Ukrainian citizens staying in Estonia on any grounds by labour status and sex. The breakdown is given for two age groups: 15–74 and 20–64.

Occupational group

The chart shows the percentage breakdown by major occupational group among employed beneficiaries of temporary protection and all Ukrainian citizens aged 15–74 and 20–64. For comparison, the indicator for the entire labour market is also given.

Economic activity

The chart shows the percentage distribution of employed beneficiaries of temporary protection and all Ukrainian citizens by employer’s main economic activity in age groups 15–74 and 20–64. For comparison, similar data for the entire labour market are also shown.

Duration of current employment 

The chart shows the percentage distribution of employed beneficiaries of temporary protection and all Ukrainian citizens by duration of their current employment in days. The distribution in age groups 15–74 and 20–64 is shown, based on the duration of the main employment relationship. The breakdown of the entire labour market is also included for comparison.

County

The map shows the following information for each county and for Tallinn city:

  • Number of employed Ukrainian citizens;
  • Number of employed Ukrainian citizens with temporary protection;
  • Share of Ukrainian citizens among the region’s employed persons;
  • Employed Ukrainian citizens with temporary protection as a percentage of all employed Ukrainian citizens with temporary protection.

Education

The chart shows the percentage distribution of employed beneficiaries of temporary protection and all Ukrainian citizens by educational attainment in age groups 15–74 and 20–64. For comparison, the breakdown of the entire labour market is also shown.

Average wages by economic activity

The chart shows the average monthly gross wages and salaries in euros for employed beneficiaries of temporary protection and all Ukrainian citizens by their employer’s main economic activity. Data for age groups 15–74 and 20–64 are shown, together with the average wages for the entire labour market for comparison.

Wage brackets

The chart shows the percentage distribution of employed beneficiaries of temporary protection and all Ukrainian citizens between wage brackets in age groups 15–74 and 20–64. The wage brackets reflect average monthly gross wages and salaries in euros. Data for the entire labour market are also shown for comparison.

Methodology

Ukrainian citizens are divided into three groups based on the grounds for stay in Estonia.

  1. Ukrainian citizens and their family members (including citizens of other countries) who have come to Estonia because of the war are eligible to apply for temporary protection. Temporary protection is a one-year residence permit that grants war refugees similar rights to those enjoyed by Estonian residents, for instance, the right to study and work and therefore receive health insurance.
  2. Foreigners residing in Estonia on the basis of a residence permit are, in general, permitted to work in Estonia. The issue of residence permits to third-country nationals and persons with undetermined citizenship is regulated by the Aliens Act. A residence permit may be temporary or long-term.
  3. Short-term employees are foreigners who are legally staying in Estonia temporarily (for example, on the basis of a visa or visa waiver) and whose employment is registered with the Police and Border Guard Board before they start work. Short-term employment is permitted for up to 365 days within 455 consecutive days. Short-term employment is permitted for a longer period for employment as a teacher or a lecturer, for research work, for employment as a top specialist, and employment in a start-up company. Short-term employment as a seasonal worker is permitted for up to 270 days within 365 consecutive days.

Data on persons granted temporary protection are collected from the population register. Data on residence permits are obtained from the register of residence permits and work permits. Information on short-term employment comes from the database of registration of short-term employment of foreigners in Estonia. Data on the existence of an employment relationship are collected from the employment register.

Data on unemployed persons are obtained from the register of persons registered as unemployed or job-seekers, and of provision of labour market services. The average monthly gross wages and salaries are calculated using data taken from the employment register (TÖR) and from Annexes 1 and 2 of tax declaration form TSD (declaration of income and social tax, unemployment insurance premiums, and contributions to mandatory funded pension). A more detailed description of the methodology can be found https://www.stat.ee/en/find-statistics/methodology-and-quality/esms-metadata/21101 .

The employment relationships in force on the date specified in the charts are counted as employment. The data will be updated regularly.

Although a person can be in more than one employment relationship, the main one has been determined for each person. The decision is based first on the type of employment (employment contract and similar types of contracts are preferred), then on the duration of the contract (indefinite employment preferred), workload (preferably higher), and the length of service (preferably longer).