Estonian residents are among the unhappiest in the world, a survey by British researchers has revealed. Estonia came in at 131 on the list, with only 56 percent of respondents indicating they were satisfied with their lives. Twelve African countries were the only countries to rank lower. Researchers of the think tank New Economics Forum compared the average life expectancy of residents of different countries, residents' satisfaction with their lives as well as the so-called ecological footprints of the countries. Estonia ranked behind Lithuania in 86th place, Latvia at 101st, Russia at 108th and Sweden in 53rd place. Residents of Costa Rica topped the survey as the happiest in the world.
New jobs are projected in the IT-sector of Estonia during the next three months. Seasonal jobs in restaurants and hotels are also expected to rise, according to a survey, conducted among entrepreneurs by the Estonian Institute of Economic Research (EKI). "If young think where to find the job, then IT is the place to look for. Restaurants and hotels need more workforces during the summer as well," Marje Josing, the head of EKI said. In contrast about one-third of industrial and trading companies plan to reduce the number of jobs. Companies in the construction sector plant to cut employee numbers in half, while the transport sector plans to shed one-fifth of its workforce. The survey conducted across a range of industries showed that about a fifth of people think they are likely to lose their job in the next three months. People with the most basic levels of education were the most pessimistic.
The number of Estonian investors who placed their money on the Riga and Vilnius stock exchanges grew to the highest levels ever, according to statistics collected by the Estonian Securities Centre. At the beginning of July there were 1,191 securities accounts registered, which had shares of enterprises listed on the Riga and/or Vilnius stock exchanges. In the past two years, the number of investors who put their stakes on enterprises listed on the stock exchanges in the neighboring Baltic countries has grown by 43 percent.
Estonian developer Nordecon International Group has implemented changes to its management board and council in the company's key subsidiaries. By increasing the number of council members, the company intends to strengthen its strategic management competence, with the view to making day-to-day management operations of its subsidiaries more efficient. Nordecon International's core business is in general contracting and construction management of infrastructure projects in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Ukraine.
