Tööotsade

Tööotsade refers to individuals who are actively seeking employment or to the activity of seeking work within the Estonian labor market. The term encompasses unemployed persons, recent graduates entering work life, and professionals who are changing careers. In everyday usage, tööotsad can describe the collective of people looking for work, while individual job seekers are more commonly called tööotsija or, less frequently, tööotsad.

The word is formed from the roots töö (work) and otsida (to search). The form tööotsade is the genitive plural, used in phrases such as tööotsade olukord (the situation of job seekers) or tööotsade turg (the job seeker market). In most contexts, the singular job seeker is referred to as tööotsija, with plural tööotsijad.

In practice, tööotsade engage in a range of activities to find opportunities. Common methods include creating and refining CVs and cover letters, applying to openings on online job portals and company websites, networking, and attending career fairs. Digital tools and platforms play a central role, reflecting Estonia’s high level of e-services and online recruitment.

Public support for tööotsade is provided by institutions such as Töötukassa, the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund. It offers job matching, career counseling, training programs, and, where eligible, unemployment benefits and wage subsidies to encourage hiring. The term also features in policy discussions about labor market activation and skills development.