According to data from Statistics Estonia (Statistikaamet), the stable number of working people in Estonia in July exceeded 630,000, with improvements visible in accommodation and catering.

Before the emergency situation, nearly 30,000 people worked in the afromentioned sectors but 5,000 people were laid off starting in March. As summer progressed, the number of workers in the sectors recovered somewhat and close to 27,000 are now working again.

Kadri Rootalu, analyst at Statistics Estonia, said: "Last year, there were over 33,000 people working in accommodation and catering."

A decrease as remarkable as in accomodation and catering did not happen in other sectors, with the number of working people decreasing by a few percentage points in art, entertainment and manufacturing.

Employment in construction remained largely unchanged during the emergency situation and started growing in late-May. A 5 percent increase in employment in agriculture can be seen during the emergency situation, with forestry and fisheries also seeing an increase.

Harju County has been hit hardest by loss of employment, with 5,602 people losing their job compared to the start of 2020. Ida-Viru County (864 people), Rapla County (55 people) and Valga County (38 people) also saw lay-offs.

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