Prime Minister Kristen Michal (Reform) said at Thursday's weekly government press conference that Estonia has taken a conservative approach to admitting foreign labor and will continue to do so in the future.

However, a recent report indicates that foreign labor is needed in some sectors. The Ministry of the Interior will use this as a basis to create new rules for hiring skilled workers in Estonia.

"By autumn, the Ministry of the Interior will make those proposals, and then the public can begin to debate. Certainly, EKRE and its offshoots in parliament will try to stoke fears that seven million people will come to Estonia, but I invite the public to discuss the real needs of the economy. If the media has the interest and capacity, they could present the OSKA report to the public," Michal told the media.

The OSKA report analyzed the labor market in the coming years and beyond. It showed that due to an aging population, there will be a shortage of local workers to fill jobs in several industrial fields essential to sectoral growth.

Looking ahead to the next decade, there will be an annual shortfall of about 1,400 top specialists and 700 skilled workers, a need that cannot be met by graduates from Estonia's education system.

Minister of the Interior Igor Taro (Eesti 200) said nine sectors will be selected with the most critical labor shortages.

"The maximum number of residence permits that may be issued under this exemption in sectors with labor shortages is about 1,300. Under economic growth conditions—if the economy grows by at least 2 percent of GDP—the number of permits would rise to 2,600," he outlined.

The minister said the new rules will allow the quota to be adjusted in response to changes in the economic environment while continuing to exercise targeted control over immigration.

A limit will be imposed on how many residence permits can be issued under the exemption.

"Authorities must be able to conduct reliable background checks on those whom employers wish to bring to Estonia. I can confirm that the Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) is a strong partner for our businesses, tasked with ensuring that a worker is suitable for Estonian society and the labor market. I firmly believe that no one should come to Estonia whose background, intentions, or relevant skills for the job are not known and clear to us. This is a matter of internal security and societal stability, and it is also our responsibility to the rest of Europe, because an Estonian visa and residence permit grant access to the entire European Union," Taro said.

Minister of Economy and Industry Erkki Keldo (Reform) said industrial companies have long pushed for a relaxation of the current measures.

"If we want to increase productivity and thereby the prosperity of the Estonian people, we need smart specialists to launch and maintain intelligent systems and machinery. Bringing in foreign specialists also creates jobs for locals and helps raise their wages. Although every employer's first preference is to hire from the domestic market, that unfortunately is not always possible, because there simply aren't enough specialists with the required skills everywhere," the minister explained.

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