Liina Kuusik, analyst at Statistics Estonia, stated that the total number of vacant and occupied posts in the fourth quarter was slightly over 604,000 and most of them were in manufacturing, trade and education. "Vacant posts accounted for 1.52 percent of the total number of posts. The number of job vacancies was the highest in public administration and defense, education, and human health and social work activities," the analyst added.

Kuusik said that 37 percent of all job vacancies were in the public sector. Most of the vacant posts were in Harju county (81 percent), including Tallinn (71 percent), followed by Tartu County (6.9 percent) and Ida-Viru County (3.7 percent). The rate of job vacancies was the highest in Harju and Ida-Viru counties and the lowest in Hiiu and Põlva counties.

"In the fourth quarter, 36,385 people were hired and 44,888 left their job," the analyst said, adding that the total number of engaged employees and employees who left, or labor turnover, which characterizes labor flows, was down 5 perecent from the fourth quarter of 2022.

"The number of new hires was the highest in wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles, manufacturing, and administrative and support service activities. The number of employees who left their job was the biggest in wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles, manufacturing, and construction.

7,156 employees left their job at the initiative of the employer, which accounted for 16 percent of all those who left work," explained Kuusik.

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