Estonia’s unemployment rate continued to grow in January

  • 2013-02-11

TALLINN - The number of registered jobless grew in January by 3,106 people and reached 42,776 in Estonia, which formed 6.5 percent of the working-age population, Public Broadcasting reports.

In December the unemployment rate was 6 percent.

In January, 8,421 new people registered as jobless.

The increase of unemployment is usual in January since many companies’ time redundancies to the end of the year to start with new staff from the new year. Unemployment Insurance Fund head Meelis Paavel said that also that the faster increase of unemployment in January was forecast.

Joblessness was highest in Ida-Virumaa (11.1 percent) and lowest in Tartumaa county (4.5 percent).

Unemployment insurance compensation was paid in January to 22 percent of the jobless.