Labor force unqualified

TALLINN - A poll organized by the Estonian Institute of Economic Research has revealed that a third of managers in construction and manufacturing companies find that Estonia is suffering from a shortage of qualified labor, reports Postimees Online. The head of the institute, Marje Josing, stated that the number of jobs created is currently higher than the number of jobs that have been abolished and, hence, there is a shortage of trained specialists. This problem is most notable in the manufacturing industry and in the construction sector.

Managing director of mousse products manufacturer Krimelte, Jaan Puusaag, noted that in comparison with the crisis period, the number of job-seekers has clearly fallen and, hence, it is more difficult to find good workers. “Finding suitable persons for some positions could take up to six months,” he noted, referring to the position of a product manager for construction chemicals exports.

Employers note that a labor force from abroad could relieve the qualified labor problem in certain areas, but it would not solve the shortcomings in Estonia’s education policy.

Jobs disappearing act
Estonian Statistical Office vacancies and jobs statistics show that nearly 100,000 jobs have disappeared from Estonia altogether over the past four years, starting in the fourth quarter of 2008, reports Postimees.
There were altogether 621,793 vacancies and jobs in Estonia in the first quarter of 2008, while in the first quarter of this year there were 522,826, s98,968 or 16 percent fewer.

The largest amount of jobs have disappeared from construction (-42 percent), real estate (-29 percent), arts, entertainment and leisure (-26 percent), manufacturing industry (-25 percent), electric energy and gas supply (-20 percent), wholesale and retail trade (-19 percent).

The only sector where a considerable number of jobs have been added (nearly 10 percent) is in the information and communications sector. Other sectors where jobs have been added are public administration (2 percent) and support activities areas (4 percent).