"In the third quarter, the total number of both vacant and occupied positions was just under 604,000, with most of them in the manufacturing, trade and education sectors," said Sigrid Saagpakk, analyst at Statistics Estonia.

Vacant positions accounted for 1.6 percent of the total, with the highest number in education (1,674), trade (1,322) and public administration and defense (1,278).

The number of employees leaving their jobs at the initiative of their employers – 5,819 – remained at the same level as in 2023. This accounted for nearly 10 percent of all job departures. The highest number of employer-initiated departures occurred in the education sector (1,125) and the manufacturing sector (1,064).

The number of people leaving their jobs, whether voluntarily or at the initiative of their employer, was highest in the wholesale and retail trade sector in the third quarter of 2024, where 9,796 people left their positions, added Saagpakk.

During the same period, 55,766 individuals were hired. According to the analyst, this represents a decrease of over 1,600 hires compared to the same period last year.

The largest number of new hires occurred in the education, wholesale and retail trade and manufacturing sectors. The total of hires and departures, a measure of workforce turnover, decreased by 4 percent compared to the third quarter of 2023.

In terms of job vacancies, Harju County accounted for the majority in the third quarter of 2024, with 80.7 percent of all open positions in Estonia. Tartu County followed with 6.8 percent, while Pärnu County and Ida-Viru County accounted for 2.3 percent and 2.1 percent, respectively.

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