Hõivatute

Hõivatute is an Estonian term used to refer to people who are employed. In statistical and formal language, it functions as a noun phrase meaning “the employed.” It is used to distinguish those who work from other groups such as the unemployed, students, or retirees. In everyday speech, however, more common words for the same idea are töötegijad or töölised (workers) or simply inimesed, who are at work.

Etymology and formally described, the word derives from the participle hõivatud (employed, occupied), which in turn comes from the verb hõivama (to occupy, employ). The form hõivatute is the genitive plural of hõivatud, and it can be used to designate the group of employed people within a sentence or a statistical category. The construction resembles other Estonian collective terms formed from participles.

Usage and tone, in practice, the term is somewhat formal or literary. In contemporary standard Estonian, speakers often prefer tööandjad, töötajad, or simply inimesed who are at work to describe employment. Hõivatute appears more often in historical documents, official reports, or discussions of the labour force where a formal label is desired. It may also be encountered in translations or older texts when a precise grammatical form is needed.

Example: Hõivatute arv tööjõu statistikas on viimastel aastatel kasvanud. See also: employment, workforce, unemployment, Estonian language terminology for labour.