Services

It is a common misconception that people who have to cope with a disability, are difficult to employ and pose more challenges than other employees.

If you are registered as unemployed and unable to participate in a labour market service or start a job because you are raising a child up to 7 years of age (inclusive) or caring for an immediate family member who is elderly or has disabilities, the Unemployment Insurance Fund can grant needs-based compensation for costs related to care and caregiving (hereinafter referred to as the care service).

Public work is temporary paid work which does not require professional, special or occupational preparation. Public work may be organised by a local authority, non-profit association or foundation.

A business start-up subsidy is financial aid (currently up to 4,474 euros) whose objective is to provide motivation and support in starting a business.

The labour market service provided for jobseekers of retirement age is co-financed by the European Social Fund of the European Union by regulation No. 222 of the Minister of Health and Labour of 4 December 2014 on the basis of ‘Provision of labour market services to facilitate employment opportunities’ .

The labour market service provided for individuals with decreased working ability is co-financed by the European Social Fund of the European Union by regulation No. 57 of the Minister of Social Protection and the Minister of Health and Labour of 27 March 2015 on the basis of ‘Provision of labour market services to the target group of work reforms’ .

The objective of labour market training is to provide the knowledge and skills needed to secure employment. You can participate in training if you and your consultant come to the conclusion that you need to gain new or improve existing knowledge and skills in order to secure employment.

In order to help a young person who has little work experience and no professional education secure employment, we grant a wage subsidy to the employer and compensate training costs.

If you have been registered as unemployed for six months or more and find work more than 30 kilometres from your home (except for Greater Tallinn; see note*), the Unemployment Insurance Fund can pay you mobility benefits to commence work.

The Unemployment Insurance Fund offers a variety of counselling services. By selecting a specific service from the menu on the left, you can learn more about it.

A work trial offers an opportunity to try out a job that has been offered to you. This reassures the employer that the applicant is suitable before entering into an employment contract.

Community work is an old tradition of people working together, and it continues to be upheld even today. It is a wonderful coming together in order to get something done. It includes all kinds of activities that need to be done in your village, neighbourhood, town or city.

Work practice helps restore working habits or form primary ones. The service is first and foremost designed for unemployed people who

• have been unemployed for a long time
• have no work experience
• are not ready to work independently on the open labour market​

Work placement gives you the necessary experience to find a job and improves professional knowledge and skills for securing employment. You and your search & selection consultant or case manager decide whether work placement is necessary, taking into account your previous work experience, skills, knowledge and work preferences.

Voluntary work facilitates securing employment: it helps prepare you for working life, to gain new experiences, knowledge and skills and, and to create or maintain working habits.

The Unemployment Insurance Fund offers career information, job mediation, job search counselling (participation in a job search workshop or job clubs) and career counselling services to everyone.

If you are of retirement age, you can also use other Unemployment Insurance Fund services, provided that you are not working and register as a jobseeker.

An unemployed person receiving unemployment insurance benefit can move to another EU country to look for work and continue to receive the unemployment insurance benefit he/she is entitled to, provided the unemployed person is actively seeking work in another country and is available for work and complies with the other country's rules on registering and looking for work. The jobseeker is entitled to the benefit for a limited period – up to 3 months (in exceptional cases up to 6 months). 

How easy it is for you to look for a job, work, and receive benefits in Estonia, depends on your nationality. As a member of the European Union, Estonia has arrangements that make it easier for citizens of other EU Member States, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland to come into the country for professional reasons. For others, different conditions apply.

Within Europe (the countries of the European Union, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein) specific rules and legislation make it easier for jobseekers to search and work in another country, and information concerning job vacancies is shared between countries.