Ida-Viru County unemployment may start to fall this year

Over 1,000 new jobs will be created in Ida-Viru County next year. According to the Unemployment Insurance Fund, the unemployment rate in the county may start to decline as early as this year.
January is traditionally the most difficult month for the labor market in Ida-Viru County. While there are usually around 500 job openings, the current number is closer to 250. The job market is in a transitional phase and significant improvements are anticipated once the benefits of the Just Transition Fund begin to materialize.
More than €165 million has already been distributed through business investment support measures, leading to the creation of approximately 1,200 jobs.
Although the launch of new factories will mostly occur next year, positive changes in the labor market are expected this year as construction on new businesses begins, according to Anneki Teelahk, head of the Unemployment Insurance Fund's Ida-Viru County office.
"Stable new jobs will definitely be created and that will have an impact. When the Narva Industrial Park opened, we saw a considerable drop in unemployment and people found work. The labor market will pick up. Even when construction begins, it requires workers. That's why I believe this year could be better," said Teelahk.
Currently, the unemployment rate in Ida-Viru County is around 13 percent. The addition of more than 1,000 jobs could reduce this rate to 10-11 percent.
However, Teelahk acknowledged that companies coming to the county primarily seek workers from the oil shale sector — those with technical skills and a habit of steady employment.
At present, there are 1,500 people in Ida-Viru County who could start work immediately. A significant portion of the county's unemployed, however, are part of high-risk groups, making their integration into the workforce challenging.
There are nearly 3,000 long-term unemployed individuals in the county, most of whom are over 50 years old. Additionally, more than 3,500 unemployed people lack proficiency in Estonian, but the expected improvements in the labor market may encourage them to become more active in their job search.
Teelahk hopes that next year job seekers will recognize the importance of learning Estonian if their language skills are hindering their employment opportunities. "We hope that by next year, these numbers will be lower," she said.
According to Teelahk, Ida-Viru County has not experienced significant layoffs in the past two years. Currently, there are around 7,500 unemployed individuals in the county.
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Editor: Barbara Oja, Marcus Turovski