Estonian Jobless Rate Climbs to 7.8% in Q2

The unemployment rate in Estonia dropped to 6.4% in the fourth quarter of 2025 from 7.4% in the same period a year earlier. The latest figure marked the lowest jobless rate since the fourth quarter of 2023, as the number of unemployed persons fell by 8.2 thousand from a year ago to 47.1 thousand. Unemployment among women decreased to 5% from 7.2%, while the rate for men increased to 7.8% from 7.5% in the same period a year ago. Across age groups, the youth unemployment rate, aged 15 to 24, rose by 1.4 percentage points to 18.1%, while the rate for those aged 25–49 fell to 6.2% from 7.4% and for those aged 50–74 declined to 4.3% from 5.2%. Meanwhile, employment decreased by 6.2 thousand to 688.6 thousand and the labor force participation rate fell by 0.4 percentage points to 68.1%. For full-year 2025, the unemployment rate averaged 7.5%, compared with 7.6% in 2024, with the average number of unemployed falling by 900 to 56,200.

Estonia’s unemployment rate declined to 7.1% in the third quarter of 2025, down from 7.4% in the same period a year earlier. This marked the lowest jobless rate since the fourth quarter of 2023, as the number of unemployed persons fell by 2.1 thousand year-on-year to 54.2 thousand. Meanwhile, the employment rate edged up to 69.7% from 69.1%, with the number of employed persons rising by 3 thousand to 705.1 thousand. The employment growth was driven mainly by young and middle-aged workers: 451.2 thousand people aged 15–24 and 25–49 were employed, an increase of 3,800 from a year earlier. Meanwhile, the labor force participation rate increased to 75.1% from 74.6%.

The unemployment rate in Estonia climbed to 7.8% in the first quarter of 2025 from 5.8% in the corresponding quarter of the previous year. The number of unemployed persons increased by 1.4 thousand from a year earlier to 59.2 thousand. The jobless rate was 8.4% for men and 7.2% for women. Meanwhile, the employment rate fell to 68.9% from 69.7%, with the number of employed persons decreasing by 9.2 thousand to 697.3 thousand. The labor force participation rate also dropped to 74.8% from 75.4%.