Third quarter job vacancies up 15 percent on year
In the third quarter of 2017, the number of job vacancies in Estonia increased by 15 percent on year from 11,000 to approximately 12,700, marking the highest number thereof in recent times, Statistics Estonia said on Thursday.
The number of job vacancies in the third quarter of 2017 was also slightly higher than in the second quarter, when job vacancies numbered 12,000, indicating a six percent increase.
The economic activities of manufacturing, wholesale and retail trade and education continued to have the largest shares in the total number of posts, both vacant and occupied, at 20, 15 and ten percent, respectively. These activities were also the largest job offerors, i.e. the number of job vacancies was also highest here. The total number of posts in the third quarter was over 558,000, increasing 0.7 percent on year and decreasing 0.5 percent compared to the previous quarter.
The rate of job vacancies, i.e. the share of job vacancies in the total number of posts, was 2.3 percent in the third quarter of 2017, an increase of 0.1 percent compared to the previous quarterand 0.3 percent on year.
In the third quarter, the rate of job vacancies was highest in education (3.2 percent), accommodation and food service activities (3.1 percent) and information and communication (3.0 percent).The rate of job vacancies was lowest, meanwhile, in agriculture, forestry and fishing (0.7 percent), real estate activities (0.8 percent) and mining and quarrying (0.9 percent).
Compared the previous quarter, the number of job vacancies in the third quarter increased in the public sector, but the majority of vacant posts (71 percent) were in the private sector. In the third quarter of 2017, the rate of job vacancies was highest in state institutions and enterprises (2.9 percent) and foreign private sector enterprises (2.8 percent). The rate of job vacancies was lowest in Estonian private sector enterprises (1.9 percent) and in local government organisations (2.3 percent).
Most of these vacant posts were located in Harju County (64 percent), including 49 percent in Tallinn, followed by Tartu County (ten percent) and Ida-Viru County (five percent). The number of vacant posts was lowest, meanwhile, in Hiiu, Põlva, Lääne and Jõgeva Counties.
Editor: Aili Vahtla