Number of long-term unemployed Estonians falls below 20,000

The number of Estonians without a job for 12 months or more has fallen below the 20,000-mark across the nation for the first time since the economic downturn in 2008, it was reported Friday.

According to Statistics Estonia, the number of long-term unemployed peaked at slightly below 60,000 in 2010 and gradually decreased since.

The figure was around 10,000 in 2008.

The current total number of unemployed people is 44,000.

Reports show that young people are successfully entering the job market as the employment rate of youth between 15 and 24 increased by 5 percent since 2014, currently at 44 percent.