Estonia’s Youth Labour Market: Unemployment and Migration Sentiments of Student Youth

Abstract

This article presents an analysis of current processes in the youth labour market in the context of their impact on the student youth migration sentiments with a focus on the case of Estonia. Nowadays, student migration takes new forms, which are determined by objective and subjective factors and need to be conceptualized. They are characterized by complicated socio-economic interactions and social relations, so the analysis is based not only on statistics but also on the results of a survey of student youth conducted in November-December 2019. The analysis of the youth labour market in Estonia revealed the relationship between unemployment and education levels and some trends in the unemployment dynamics. This made it possible to identify key processes, such as spread of circular and chain migration, an increasing intensity of migration flow, transition to positive values of net migration. The analysis confirmed that Estonia’s accession to the EU had a positive effect on the youth labour market, and the improvement of the socio-economic situation in the country was the main reason for growing migration flow of young people from abroad. The identification of migration sentiments of student youth is based on the analysis of factors that push them from the country of origin and pull to the countries of possible migration. Countries that are the most attractive for Estonian students in terms of education and employment have been identified, including ones with a positive image for immigration, high wage level and favourable working conditions. It is determined that the migration aspirations of the respondents are quite high. The migratory attitudes of student youth towards permanent migration are analysed in relation to the education of parents and the level of foreign language proficiency.