Unemployment creeps upwards in Estonia

Unemployment has grown in Estonia during January, new figures show.

The number of registered jobless increased by nearly 3,000 people and reached 35,817 people, which formed 5.5% of the working-age population, Äripäev Online reports.

In January, the number of registered jobless was 33,520 people, which formed 5.1% of the working-age population.
In January, 7,520 new people registered as jobless.

Joblessness was highest in Valgamaa (9.8%) and Ida-Virumaa (9.1%) and lowest in Viljandimaa county (4.2%) and Tartumaa (4.3%).

Unemployment Insurance Fund board chairman Meelis Paavel said that the slightly faster growth in the number of the unemployed in January was expected, mainly because many term job contracts end at the end of the year and there are also more redundancies at the end of the year.

Unemployment insurance compensation was paid in January to 25% of the jobless and jobless benefits were paid to 21% of the jobless.