The number of unemployed persons declined in the second quarter and is moving now towards the pre-crisis level, state agency Statistics Estonia says. There were 47,300 unemployed persons, 1,500 less than in the first quarter of 2021 and 1,700 less than in the second quarter of 2020.
Over half of the unemployed people had been without work for less than six months. There were also fewer persons who had been unemployed for 12 months or more. There were more men than women among the unemployed. The unemployment rate was the highest in northeastern Estonia – 12.6%, almost twice as high as the Estonian average.
There was also a decrease in the number of underemployed people, i. e. persons who worked part-time but would like to work more and were available for additional work within two weeks. The number of underemployed persons fell from 8,600 to 7,500.
The labor force participation rate in Estonia in the second quarter was 70.6%, the employment rate was 65.8% and the unemployment rate was 6.9%.
The number of persons employed part-time decreased by 8% compared to the previous quarter, whereas the number of men in part-time employment fell by 7.4%.
The labor force participation rate was 70.6% in the second quarter of 2021, the agency announced on August 16. In that period, the employment rate was 65.8% and the unemployment rate was 6.9%.
Statistics Estonia analst Katriin Polluaar said that there were no major changes in the labor market compared to the first quarter of the year.
“In the second quarter, there was a slight fall in the labor force participation rate and in the employment and unemployment rates compared to the previous quarter. The number of employed persons aged 15-74 was 641,900,” the analyst noted.
There were 90,200 people working part-time in the first quarter and 83,200 in the second quarter of 2021. The number of women working part-time (60,800) was nearly three times higher than the corresponding number of men (22,400). The decreased number of men employed part-time was also the reason for the lower overall number of persons in part-time employment. (ERR/Business World Magazine)