The total number of vacant and occupied posts was 609,211. The economic activities of manufacturing, wholesale and retail trade, and education held the largest shares in the total number of posts, while the most job vacancies were in the economic activities of manufacturing (1,244), public administration and defense (1,109), education (1,040), and human health and social work activities (1,020).

According to Statistics Estonia analyst Argo Tarkiainen, the rate of job vacancies, which is the share of job vacancies in the total number of posts, was 1.4 percent. Of all job vacancies, 40 percent were in the public sector.

"The rate of job vacancies was highest in public administration and defense (2.9 percent) and lowest in mining and quarrying (0.1 percent)" Tarkiainen said.

Most of the vacant posts were located in Harju County (81 percent), including Tallinn (69 percent), followed by Tartu County (6.7 percent) and Pärnu County (2.4 percent). The rate of job vacancies was highest in Harju County (1.9 percent), followed by Valga County (1.5 percent), and lowest in Hiiu County (0.2 percent).

In the first quarter, 44,215 persons were hired and 42,312 persons left work. Labor turnover, i.e. the total number of engaged and left employees, characterizing the movement of labor, decreased by 4 percent on year.

"The number of employees hired as well as the number of employees who left their job were highest in wholesale and retail trade, manufacturing and construction," Tarkiainen noted. "Of all the employees who left their job, 16 percent left on the employer's initiative."

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