Estonian Human Development Report

family members is considered to be one of the main factors
inhibiting women’s employment and gender equality
in the labour market. The availability of childcare service
has continually been a problem in Estonia. In 2002–2008,
40–50% of local governments had kindergarten waiting
lists (Ainsaar, Soo 2008). In 2004, almost 16,000 children
were on kindergarten waiting lists (Kask, Rummo-Laes et
al 2005). Also, kindergartens were overcrowded – there
are almost 2,500 more children in kindergartens than
there are normative places (Statistics Estonia database). In
2006, 18% of children under three received childcare services
and 85% of older children received at least one hour,
but the majority over 30 hours (Leetmaa, Karu 2008). The
averages of EU countries were 26% and 84% respectively
(Eurostat 2008). The objective of the European Union for
2010 is to provide childcare services to 33% of children
under the age of three and to 90% of those over three.
In addition to formal childcare services, a third of
children under three were in the care of grandparents and
other people, seldom professional childminders and then
only for 2.5 hours per week on average (Leetmaa, Karu
2008). Therefore, parents are those who primarily mind
small, under-three-year-olds, which is clearly discernible
in employment statistics – the employment rate of women
with under-six-year-olds in 2006 was 25.7 percentage
points lower than that of childless women (the EU average
is 13.6 percentage points) (European Commission 2008).
Lifelong learning
In addition to the training of unemployed people, an
important part of the concept of flexicurity involves
the training of workers. As shown in last year’s Human
Development Report, Estonia ranks among the bottom
third of the EU member states with respect to adult education
or about 6.5% of adults in Estonia participated in
lifelong learning (Human Development Report, 2007).
Below, we make a closer examination of participation
in adult education, by using two surveys that were conducted
recently – Adult Education in Enterprises 2006
(and a similar survey from 2000 for comparison) and the
2007 Estonian Adult Education Survey (personal survey).
The primary focus of these analyses was the participation
of 20–64-year-old employed persons in training
and the provision of training in companies with at least
10 employees 44 .
Participation in training. Of the 315,000 men
included in the sample, 134,000 (42.7%) had received
some sort of training; the corresponding indicators for
women were 314,000 and 166,000 (52.8%). In addition,
especially in the case of women, it is people with higher
qualifications and levels of education that received training.
Women with low qualifications, who are actually in
the worst position in the labour market, receive comparatively
less training. A good example are the layoffs at
Narva Kreenholm this year, where hundreds of people
who lost their jobs due to the closing of the enterprise did
not benefit from active labour market policies until after
the company had closed, and they were already unemployed.
Unfortunately, there is no system of preventive
Table 6.4.3. The workers that have participated in adult
education by gender and occupation
Participants in
Total
adult education
20–64-year-olds, % Men Women Men Women
Total 100% 100% 100% 100%
Managers, professionals* 32% 48% 43% 63%
Other white-collar workers** 2% 8% … 8%
Blue-collar workers *** 66% 45% 55% 29%
*Managers, professionals, legislators, senior officials and managers;
middle-level professional and technicians, officials.
** Other white-collar workers; officials.
*** Blue-collar workers: service and sales personnel; skilled agricultural
and fishery workers; skilled workers and craftspeople; equipment and
machinery operators; unskilled workers; armed forces.
Source: Estonian Labour Force Survey.
Table 6.4.4. The participation of 20–64-year-olds in
adult training during the last 12 months (Gender, educational
level, and training provider)
2007
Ratio (total
people completing
training=100),
%
training in Estonia, which would deal with people who
are about to become unemployed.
When people are asked their reasons for participating
in training, the primary reason is clearly their jobs –
training is needed primarily for their jobs. Of women, 86%
of the training participants thought so; among men, the
indicator was even greater – 90%.
Among men, 30–39-year-olds are the most active
training participants; while among women, it is both 30–
39 and 40–49-year olds, with about 50% of the workers
in the corresponding age groups participating in training
(Figure 6.4.6.).
It is principally large enterprises that deal with worker
training (250 and more workers), with over 90% of these
companies dealing with worker training (Figure 6.4.7.).
The average indicator was near 70%, with small businesses
around 60%. If the sample had included micro enterprises,
which are actually most numerous today on the entrepreneurial
landscape, the average indicator would have been
significantly lower.
Summary
Total training
providers
In the workplacetöökoht
School, educational
institutions,
training
company
Other
agency,
company
Nonprofit
organization
Men 100.0 35.7 40.2 14.3 6.1 ..
In summary, I would like to stress that while the role of
social partners in the regulations of issues related to the
labour market is relatively modest in Estonia our corresponding
governmental regulations are still relatively
Other training
organizer
Women 100.0 27.1 47.4 11.9 9.0 4.6
Comment: If the person participated in several trainings during the last 12 months.
Source: Statistics Estonia
44
The general sample of the survey comprised companies with at least 10 employees that were included in the commercial register as of
2005 and were engaged in a principal activity related to the survey .
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