TALLINN - The number of unemployed persons looking for jobs has fallen by one-fifth compared with last year, labor market officials announced last week.
At the beginning of December, 22,590 unemployed people were looking for work through Estonia's employment offices, which is 21.4 percent less than the same time last year.
"Unlike previous years, when the winter always brought a small increase in the number of jobless people, a decline in the number of unemployed residents continues thanks to a particularly high rate of economic growth in the third quarter," director of the Labor Market Board, Tiina Ormisson, said.
Compared with Nov. 1, the number of registered jobless was down by 120 people, which comprises 2.8 percent of the country's working-age population, the Labor Market Board said.
In the course of the month of November, 25,601 people had been looking for a job via employment offices. Persons turning to an employment office for the first time numbered 3,357, a drop of 2.7 percent month on month and 28 percent year on year.
The unemployment rate was highest in Ida-Viru County in the northeast and in the southern Valga County 's 6.6 percent and 5.8 percent respectively. Parnu County had the lowest rate at 1.4 percent.
The jobless rate was 6.9 percent in Narva and 1.7 percent in Tallinn, down respectively by 20.8 percent and 35.3 percent year on year.
