As one man, employers’ organisations say their major problem is workers shortage, solutions needing to be sought speedily.
Facing the inevitable: migrant workers
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According to Toomas Tamsar, head of Estonian Employers’ Confederation, both work shortage and workers shortage are currently the deepest in services and the lower paid industries.
«This means the labour market is dysfunctional: the need is there, the options are there, but these will not meet in the middle – by price level. For the wages the entrepreneurs are able to offer, people desire not to work,» said he.
Meelis Paavel, CEO of Unemployment Insurance Fund (the Töötukassa), agrees: labour market is on standby, as if – the unemployed are looking for jobs better than is offered, at higher wages. Everybody wants to get «€1,000 net», which, in most sectors, is light-years from what is actually offered.
«I think we should not send contradicting signals, whereby we are raising these expectations. At the same time, confidence is needed in continued wage rise in Estonia,» said he. «At the moment, people imagine that entrepreneurs pocket huge profits and dividends, giving nothing of it to employees. That affects the overall attitude.»
According to Peep Peterson, heading Central Federation of Trade Unions, it would indeed be cheaper for Estonia to engage the local people rather that hope that somebody is willing to come from abroad, for the minimum wage of €335.
«Migrant workers are surely coming to Estonia and I am sure the labour market needs to be prepared for that. But I think the wage contrast between the sending country and the target country – us, Estonia – needs to be a lot larger than today,» said he. «Perhaps it will be, in seven to ten years, but right now it is not worthwhile coming here for the people, to be paid so little.»
Representatives of employers agree: hardly would Estonia escape foreign workers. According to Mait Palts, director general of Chamber of Commerce and Industry, to a degree work can be exported – as is already being done; even so, this will not help avoid importing workforce.
«This is a subject we will be forced to tackle, some day – it cannot be postponed, be it as unpopular as ever. No other country has escaped that, neither will we. We would just need the wisdom not to repeat others’ mistakes,» said he.
In spite of the global war for talents, Estonians still ask why the expensive workforce should come here, said Mr Tamsar. According to him, it should rather be asked: why doesn’t anybody want to come here?
«This concerns not the blacks and the Asians alone, the ones we almost superstitiously fear; first and foremost, it’s about us. Desperately, we are blocking the door which doesn’t even open towards us, instead of trying to push it open a little. It’s the issue about our taxpayers; about chances for us all to live better, tomorrow, than today.»
According Mr Tamsar, it’s «quite a Chinese riddle» how the current immigration quota was arrived at, including no clear and demographically substantiated calculations.
Mr Palts added that with a very strict migration policy, Estonia’s own competitiveness and economic growth could suffer; at the same time, carelessly brushing aside the rules may spawn new problems. Therefore, it is vital to reach the right balance.