Tallinn labor market hit hardest by coronavirus pandemic
The coronavirus pandemic has had large-scale effects on Estonian economy and the labor market with registered unemployment jumping by 44 percent to a total of 66,000 unemployed. Of all Estonian regions, Harju County and the capital city of Tallinn have been hit hardest.
According to the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund's (Töötukassa) data for the second quarter of 2020, Harju County's rate of unemployment has increased by 62 percent, compared with 43 for the rest of Estonia. The unemployment rate in Tallinn has gone up by 63.4 percent from last year, to 22,000 with 8,500 more unemployed people in Tallinn than last year.
Unemployment has also hit Saaremaa, where a 55 percent increase from last year can be seen in unemployment rate data, 1,300 more than the second quarter of 2019. Although Hiiumaa was also closed to everyone but permanent residents, the island saw a comparatively modest increase of 39 percent.
The total unemployment rate for Estonia was 7.9 percent by the end of June, with Ida-Viru County's unemployment rate reaching 12.9 percent. By the end of the second quarter, there were 51,000 registered unemployed in Estonia, 23.5 percent of them with decreased work capability.
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Editor: Kristjan Kallaste
