The number reached in the first quarter was more or less the same as that of last year's third, when the number of job vacancies exceeded 11,000 for the first time in seven years. This time however, the number of job vacancies exceeded the previous record by 140. Compared to the same period a year ago, when the number of job vacancies exceeded 8,200, the number of job vacancies increased by 35 percent.

The share of vacant and occupied posts in the total number of posts continued to be the highest in manufacturing (19 percent), wholesale and retail trade (16 percent) and education (10 percent).

The rate of job vacancies, i.e. the share of job vacancies in the total number of jobs, was 2 percent in the first quarter of 2017, which is 0.3 percent higher than in the last quarter of 2016 and 0.5 percent higher than in the first quarter of 2016.

The rate of job vacancies was highest in administrative and support service activities (4 percent) and accommodation and food service activities (3.2 percent). The rate of job vacancies was the lowest in water supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation activities (0.9 percent), mining and quarrying (1 percent), and real estate activities (1 percent).

Most of the vacant posts were available in Harju county (70 percent, including 57 percent in Tallinn), followed by Tartu County (8 percent) and Ida-Viru County (4 percent). The rate of job vacancies was the highest in Harju County (2.4 percent) and the lowest in the Hiiu (0.5 percent), Saare (0.9 percent) and Valga counties (1.1 percent).

Three quarters or 75 percent of the vacant posts were in the private sector. In the first quarter of 2017, the rate of job vacancies was highest in state organisations (2.7 percent) and foreign private-sector institutions (2.5 percent). The rate of job vacancies was the lowest in local government organisations (1.1 percent).

The movement of labour is characterised by labour turnover (the total number of engaged employees and those who have left), which amounted to 81,000 in the last quarter of 2016, indicating a 10 percent decrease compared to the previous quarter and a 21 percent increase compared to the last quarter of 2015.

Compared to the last quarter of 2015, the largest decrease in labour turnover occurred in education (58 percent), professional, scientific and technical activities (45 percent) and in accommodation and food service activities (33 percent). In the last quarter, both the number of employees hired and the number of employees who left their job were the highest in wholesale and retail trade and manufacturing.

The data is based on the “Job vacancies and labour turnover” survey conducted by Statistics Estonia since 2005.