Government-Facilitated Jobs Rise 25%, Still at Relative Low
The number of jobs offered through the Unemployment Insurance Fund grew considerably in March compared to the previous month, but nevertheless continued on a relative low-point.
In February, the available jobs dipped to 2,820 - the least in 11 months. In March, the figure hopped back up to 3,550, but that was still far below the 6,230 job advertisements that were posted on the agency's database last October.
Also in March, the number of the registered unemployed declined for the first time, after four consecutive months of increasing joblessness.
At the end of March, there were 49,300 registered unemployed persons, putting the unemployment rate at 7.5 percent.
But the Unemployment Insurance Fund only paid unemployment insurance benefits to 19 percent of the registered jobless in February. The registered unemployed are eligible for receiving wage-based unemployment insurance benefits for 180 to 360 days after registering with the unemployment office, depending on the duration of previous employment.
Ott Tammik