Estonia needs more skilled foreign labour, Hando Sutter, CEO of the Estonian Employers’ Confederation (ETK), stated, ERR reports. Speaking on ETV, Sutter noted that Estonia’s employment rate was now one of the highest in history. At the same time, the number of births was likely to be the lowest in 100 years in 2025, he added. Responding to fears that foreign workers from third countries could replace Estonians, Sutter pointed out that most labour movement took place within the EU, and that Estonia needed to attract more talent. “I struggle to understand […] how xenophobia has grown so strong” in Estonia, he said. Currently, Estonia has over 60,000 people who are unemployed. The overall unemployment rate was 7.8% in the second quarter 2025, according to Statistics Estonia’s data, ERR reported. However, the country’s youth unemployment rate remains the EU’s highest at over 25%, ERR reported.
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