Estonia has admitted 1,300 workers from third countries

About 1,300 people from third countries have come to work in Estonia this year, with Ukrainians making up the largest group, ERR reports. The number of people arriving on short-term work permits has fallen in recent years.

The national immigration quota is also set at 1,300, but many workers are exempt from it, including some nationals and people taking jobs in the IT sector. Of the quota places, 566 residence permits have been issued and another 180 applications are being processed. The Interior Ministry expects about 60% of the quota to be used by the end of the year.

Ukrainians account for 40% of foreign workers, followed by people from India at 8%, Uzbekistan at 5% and Azerbaijan at 3%. Indians tend to work in IT, while Ukrainians mostly take jobs in manufacturing, said Janek Mägi, head of the Interior Ministry’s border guard and migration department.

Last year, more than 400 of the 2,150 residence permits issued went to workers in manufacturing. Programming accounted for 340 permits, while service activities and construction each received about 240. Other workers were employed in accommodation, catering, finance, transport and storage.

A law introduced this year allows the quota to grow when the economy expands. With gross domestic product forecast to increase by 2.5% next year, Estonia will be able to admit just over 2,500 foreign workers under the quota.

The Ministry of Economic Affairs has identified which sectors can hire workers from abroad. Its criteria include labour shortages, export levels and average gross wages in each sector. The wage threshold for these additional workers will change from 1.5 times the Estonian average to 0.8 of the average wage.