A total of 232,500 people aged 50-74 were in employment in Q2 2019, a 9,600 year-on-year (y-o-y) rise, Statistics Estonia says. The proportion of that age group in employment was 59.2 percent, and unemployment stood at 4.7 percent in the same bracket (many of the remainder would be classified as retired).

In the 25-49-year-old age group, employment stood at 83.3 percent and unemployment at 4 percent in the same period, relatively unchanged on the previous quarter and year.

For people aged 15-24, employment stood at 39.5 per cent and unemployment was significantly higher at 14.1 percent. Statistics Estonia says this figure is partly seasonal as school and university students start looking for work at the beginning of summer, often finding it within a couple of weeks.

Unemployment as a whole was down by just over 2,000 people y-o-y in Q2 2019, while conversely, the number of employed had risen over that period. 127,700 of those employed were women, a y-o-y rise of 3,400, and 104,800 were men, a y-o-y rise of 6,200.

Overall unemployment in Q2 2019 was 5.1 percent, labor force participation rate was 71.7 percent and employment stood at 68.1 percent, Statistics Estonia says, giving an estimated number of 667,700 in employment and 35,700 unemployed. Labor market indicators were relatively unchanged y-o-y, the agency says.

Employed persons break down showed 584,500 full-time workers and 83,200 part-time, again relatively stable y-o-y, Statistics Estonia says. The number of under-employed persons fell slightly during that period, to 6,500.

An under-employed person is one who does not work full-time, but expresses a desire to work more hours and is available for such within two weeks.

The number of inactive persons was 277,600 in Q2 2019, a slight y-o-y rise. Major factors here were retirement (89,000), studies (65,000) and illness or disability (61,400).

Statistics Estonia says that of particular significance is the fact that the number of "discouraged persons", described as those who have lost all hope of finding work, is at a 20-year low at 2,900.

Statistics Estonia says it has conducted its Labour Force Survey since 1995, with 5,000 persons participating in the survey every quarter.

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Statistics Estonia is a government agency under the aegis of the Ministry of Finance, and provides public institutions, business and research circles, international organizations and individuals with reliable and objective information on the economic, demographic, social and environmental situation and trends in Estonia.