Persons who have been laid off from the oil shale industry and have found employment in another sector can apply for job placement support. The job placement support is provided for a duration of 6-12 months with a maximum monthly grant of 1000 euros (gross).

Employees of oil shale companies and persons who have worked in the oil shale industry and are registered as unemployed with the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund have the opportunity to develop their skills through the Unemployment Insurance Fund.

Companies in the oil shale industry

Companies in the oil shale industry are Eesti Energia AS, Enefit Power AS, Enefit Solutions AS, KIRDE VARAD AS, Osaühing VKG Kaevandused, VIRU KEEMIA GRUPP AS, Osaühing VKG Energia, OÜ VIRU RMT, VKG Logistika OÜ, VKG OIL AS, KIVIÕLI KEEMIATÖÖSTUSE OÜ.

ORICA EESTI OSAÜHING is also considered an oil shale sector company.

More information about support measures for employees in the oil shale industry can be found by contacting the Ida-Virumaa department at their email address idaviru@tootukassa.ee or by phoning 332 1700.

Job placement aid

Starting from 1 January 2024, job placement aid will be provided for employees who have lost their jobs in the oil shale industry and have found new employment in a different industry. The job placement aid will be provided for a duration of 6-12 months and the amount of the aid is 30% of the average monthly salary earned in the oil shale industry, up to 1000 euros per month (gross).

You are eligible for job placement aid if the following conditions are met:

• You have been registered as unemployed with the Ida-Virumaa department of the Unemployment Insurance Fund for at least 60 days following the termination of your employment in the oil shale industry;
• Your total duration of employment in companies within the oil shale industry in the 36 months preceding your registration as unemployed is at least 24 months;
• You have received a decision regarding the issuance of unemployment insurance benefits;
• You begin employment outside the oil shale industry within 100 days of the date on which the decision of your eligibility for unemployment insurance benefits was made.*

* Within 100 days from the date of the initial decision to grant unemployment insurance benefits, and not from the date of the decision to continue paying unemployment insurance benefits.

NB! Please note that to qualify for job placement aid, you must have been assigned unemployment insurance benefits starting from 24 September 2023 and have commenced employment no earlier than 1 January 2024.

Applying for job placement aid

To apply for job placement aid, an application must be submitted while you are still registered as unemployed or within 60 calendar days of commencing employment.

Aid is provided for one transition per person.

You can submit your application for job placement aid in person at an Unemployment Insurance Fund department convenient to you, or by emailing idaviru@tootukassa.ee or tt@tootukassa.ee.

Duration and amount of aid

The duration of job placement aid payment is determined by the length of the unemployment insurance period. If the period of unemployment insurance is less than 5 years, the aid is paid for 6 months. If the period of unemployment insurance is 5 to 10 years, the aid is paid for 9 months. In the case of more than 10 years of unemployment insurance, the aid is paid for 12 months.

The amount of aid is calculated based on the employee's nine-month average daily salary based on data from the unemployment insurance database. Salaries earned in the nine months preceding the last three months of employment and from which unemployment insurance premium has been withheld are taken into account. The total salary earned during those nine months is divided by 270 to calculate the average salary of one calendar day (daily rate). The daily rate is then multiplied by 30 to determine the amount of the persons average salary for one month. The amount of the aid in one calendar month is 30% of the persons average monthly salary in the oil shale industry, but no more than 1000 euros (gross) per month.

Assignment and payment of job placement aid

The decision regarding the assignment or denial of job placement aid will be made within 10 working days of the correct submission of an application. The decision on job placement aid will be delivered electronically, in person at the Unemployment Insurance Fund department, or by regular mail. You can choose the method by which you will receive the decision when submitting your application.

Job placement aid is paid retroactively: aid for the previous month will be deposited into your bank account by the 15th of the current month. The assigned amount is subject to income tax.

NB! Please note that aid is not provided for months in which the duration of employment or service is less than 14 calendar days.

An example. If you commenced employment on 22 January, you would not receive aid payment the following month, which would be on 15 February. Instead, aid would be paid by 15 March for the month of February, if all the conditions for receiving job placement aid are still met (including having worked continuously for the entire month of February for the same employer with whom you had commenced employment at the end of your unemployment registration). If the initial month's payment is not made, the payment period will be extended by one month. If the duration of employment is less than 14 days during the initial month of the employment relationship, and the employment is terminated in the subsequent month with a duration of less than 14 days as well, the aid will not be paid.

Job placement aid is no longer provided

The payment of job placement aid will be terminated before the assigned period ends if the employment or service relationship on which the aid is based on ends, or if you resume employment in the oil shale industry.

Skills development

Employees working in the oil shale industry are invited to speak with a career counsellor from the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund to discuss potential occupations that might suit them and where they can acquire the necessary skills to work in that occupation. If necessary, further actions for skill development can be agreed during the consultation and an action plan can be drawn up. Once the action plan has been drawn up and agreed upon, the individual can choose from the training options offered by the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund's training card partners or use the degree study allowance to acquire new skills in a vocational school or university. The amount of the allowance is 410,13 euros per month in 2025.

We also provide from the 2024/2025 academic year support for a one-time micro-qualification grant (1230,39 euros in 2025) if the individual completes the micro-qualification study programme with a volume of at least 18 credits, the study is financed by the Just Transition Fund and started studying while unemployed or still working in the oil shale sector.

Degree study allowance

The degree study allowance aims to support employees in the oil shale industry or individuals who have worked in the industry in obtaining vocational or higher education by facilitating the development of necessary skills in the region.

Who is eligible for degree study allowance?

1. Unemployed individuals who were previously employed in the oil shale industry under either an employment contract or a contract under the law of obligations for the provision of a service and are currently registered as unemployed.
2. Employees aged 16 to retirement who work in an oil shale industry company under an employment contract or a contract under the law of obligations for the provision of a service and have an unemployment insurance period of at least 12 months within the 36 months preceding the application, as required by the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Act.
    

The allowance is paid to employed or unemployed persons who, at the time of applying for the allowance, are not enrolled in vocational, professional higher education or Bachelor's studies, or whose enrolment in such studies has not exceeded 60 calendar days. Persons whose registration as unemployed was terminated under the Unemployment Insurance Act clause 12 (1)3), due to not meeting the conditions of clause 8 (4)10), will receive a degree study allowance if they apply for the support within 60 calendar days of starting their studies. The date of commencement of studies is determined based on data in the Estonian Education Information System.

Degree study allowance is not provided to persons who, based on data in the Estonian Education Information System, have discontinued their studies in vocational, professional higher education or Bachelor's studies within 12 months prior to the submission of the application, except when the persons attended an educational or training institution where the learner was required to cover tuition costs.

Which study programmes are supported?

The allowance is paid upon on the condition that you enrol in an educational programme listed in the provided list or an OSKA curriculum (curriculum search).

If you are unable to continue your current job or cannot find suitable employment due to health reasons, we provide study allowance to your enrolment in an educational programme that will enable you to work after completing your studies.

Allowance is provided for enrolling in tuition-free educational programmes in vocational education, applied higher education, or Bachelor's studies.

How to get degree study allowance?

To obtain the degree study allowance you must take the following steps.

1. If you are working, visit the career counsellor at the Unemployment Insurance Fund. You can book a session via the self-service portal (log in with your ID-card, Smart-ID or Mobile-ID) or by contacting a career counsellor at an Unemployment Insurance Fund department convenient for you. Department contact details can be found here. If you are registered as unemployed, you can obtain information from your counsellor.
2. The counsellor checks whether there are curricula supported by the Unemployment Insurance Fund in your chosen field and – if you belong to the target group for receiving the allowance – makes an agreement with you on the support for participation in degree studies and the deadline for starting studies in the action plan. The allowance will be paid if you start your studies within 12 months of agreeing on the participation in degree studies in the action plan.
3. To apply for the allowance, submit an application to the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund. The Unemployment Insurance Fund will verify, as of the date of application submission, whether you meet the conditions for receiving support. You can submit the application before the consultation or during the consultation. The application must be submitted before the date of enrolment in the educational institution or no later than 60 calendar days after the date of enrolment. You can submit the application via  the self-service portal, send an e-mail or a letter by post to the most suitable Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund office or submit it on-site at an Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund office. You can find the application form on the website of the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund.
4. The Unemployment Insurance Fund will verify your enrolment in the Estonian Education Information System, and if your enrolment information is confirmed and meets the eligibility requirements, the fund will make a decision on the payment of the allowance and inform you of this decision.
5. If you are registered as unemployed and you have not been employed for at least 180 days in the 12 months preceding your registration, your unemployment registration will be terminated when you enrol in degree studies.
    

How much is the allowance and how is it paid?

The amount of the degree study allowance per month is the daily rate of unemployment benefit established by the state multiplied by 31. In 2025, the amount of the allowance is 410,13 euros per month. The allowance is subject to income tax.

If you wish for the allowance to be subject to basic exemption, you can submit an application. If you have already submitted an application to the Unemployment Insurance Fund for basic exemption calculation regarding another aid or benefit, you do not need to submit a new application. You can find more information about basic exemption here.

The allowance is granted as of the time marked in the Estonian Education Information System as the beginning of your studies. The allowance is paid during the nominal period of the educational degree. The allowance is paid for the acquisition of one vocational or higher education. You will not receive the allowance while you are on academic leave. If you suspend your studies, the payment of support will be terminated, in which case the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund may provide support for one more vocational or higher education programme.

The degree study allowance will not be terminated if, according to the Estonian Education Information System, you resume your studies within 30 calendar days after suspension. In that case, the time for which you received the allowance in the past will be deducted from the nominal duration of the new educational degree programme.

The allowance is paid monthly for the previous month.

Micro-credential acquisition allowance - the opportunity to apply has not yet opened

The purpose of micro-credential acquisition allowance is to assist employees of companies in the oil shale industry or individuals who have worked in the industry in obtaining micro-credentials, thus promoting occupational mobility.

Who is eligible for allowance

1. Unemployed persons who starting to study worked in a company within the oil shale industry under an employment contract or a contract under the law of obligations for the provision of a service and started acquiring a micro-credential after working for a company in the oil shale industry and being registered as unemployed.
2. Employees aged 16 to retirement who starting to study work in a company within the oil shale industry under an employment contract or a contract under the law of obligations for the provision of a service at the time of commencing the acquisition of a micro-credential.
    

In what circumstances is allowance granted?

The support is paid if you complete the micro-credential programme, which is financed from the Just Transition Fund. The Ministry of Education and Science forwards the list of supported micro-credential programme to the Estonian Unemployment Fund. The opening of the first study programs is planned for the II half of 2025, and the unemployment fund will publish the list of study programs on this same page as soon as the Ministry of Education and Science has forwarded the list of study programs to the unemployment fund.

The amount of the allowance is 31 times the daily rate of the unemployment allowance established by the state budget valid on the day of acquiring the micro-credential programme. In 2025, this amount is 1230,39 euros. The unemployment fund will pay you the allowance for the acquisition of a micro-credential programme as a one-off payment within six months after the acquisition of the micro-credential programme.

The allowance is granted until 30 November 2029, for the acquisition of one micro-credential, where the commencement of acquisition occurred after 31 December 2023.

Applying for the allowance

In order to apply for the allowance, you need to submit a digitally signed application along with a certificate confirming the acquisition of the micro-credential. You can send these documents via email to mkt@tootukassa.ee or submit them on site at an Unemployment Insurance Fund department or send them to the address Lasnamäe 2, Tallinn.

The provision of labour market services to employees in the oil shale industry is co-financed with the support of the European Union, based on Decree No. 138 "Support for the Employment and Skills Development of Employees in the Oil Shale Industry" issued by the Minister of Economic Affairs and Communications on 7 September 2023.