Estonian Jobless Rate Lowest in 2 Years

2026-02-16 06:35 By Joshua Ferrer 1 min. read

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.



News Stream
Estonian Jobless Rate Lowest in 2 Years
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.
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