The minimum wage for artists and writers receiving the state salary is set to rise to €1,760 per month (gross). There will also be wage increases for highly qualified cultural workers. The previous minimum wage for cultural workers was €1,300 per month.

"When I think about culture, I think first and foremost about valuing the people in our sector," said Culture Minister Piret Hartman. "The creative salaries instrument helps our most outstanding creators to concentrate on their creative work for three years. The pay rise is an opportunity that creates the conditions and security to continue with their work," Hartman explained.

"Increasing the number of people who receive an artist's salary (from the state) will help to reduce financial issues, provide social guarantees for freelancers in the arts, as well as move towards (a situation where there is) fair remuneration for artists," said Elin Kard, president of the Estonian Artists' Union.

From the start of next year, a total of 20 people will receive the artist's salary from the state. The money will be allocated by the Ministry of Culture in the form of a grant to the Creative Union (Loomeliit). The salary will then be paid by the Creative Union for a period of three years, to those selected through open competition. Each artist's salary will be the 1.1 times the minimum wage for a highly educated cultural worker, including taxes.

The creative salaries instrument was introduced in 2015 as a way of supporting artists and writers with a state salary. Earlier this year, the Ministry of Culture announced plans for a study into the instrument, with a view to reducing any shortcomings in relation to renumeration, or other areas where additional support may be provided.

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