With the short-term labour demand forecast prepared on the basis of the labour demand barometer, we provide an overview of the occupations for which it is the most difficult to find employees and which occupations are in excess in the labour market.

The labour demand barometer is a qualitative method used by the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund to forecast short-term labour demand by occupation. At the county level, the forecast is prepared by the county departments of the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund, involving experts from outside the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund as far as possible.

The labour demand forecast looks at two indicators. Firstly, changes in employers’ demand for labour over the next 12 months are assessed: it is evaluated how the employers’ need for certain occupations change. Will it increase, decrease or stay the same? Secondly, the balance between labour supply and demand will be assessed over the next 12 months: the relationship between the labour force available on the labour market and the employers’ need by occupation will be evaluated. In which occupations is there a labour surplus, deficit or balance in the labour market?

In the evaluation, we look at general labour market trends, i.e. the barometer does not take into account seasonality and is based on the employer’s perspective. You can read more about the methodology for assessing labour needs in the section ‘Methodology’.