Anvelt said during question time in the Riigikogu on Wednesday that the ministry estimates the number of people illegally working in Estonia to be some 5,000, ERR's "Aktuaalne kaamera" newscast reported.

The government is planning to introduce the option to terminate EU visas as a means against illegal third-country workers as well as deporting them.

To all those companies currently looking for skilled labor, the minister recommended to most of all do so on the Estonian market.

Anvelt pointed out that for plenty of jobs people were needed that "let's be honest, don't produce a lot of added value." Instead of bringing people into the country, companies should look to the Estonian domestic labor market, for example to Ida-Viru County and the country's southeast, where the unemployment rate is twice the national average.

According to Anvelt, companies can also turn to the retraining programs of the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund (EUIF).