· Organising the registration of the unemployed and establishing the order of paying them benefits and supervising this system;

· Administering labour mediation services designed to bring employees and employers together;

· Administering vocational planning and counselling on dividing and re-dividing the labour force in the national economy on the basis of the structural changes in it;

· Co-ordinating advances training and retraining to develop the labour potential of the population.

At the present there are nearly fifty local employment offices in Estonia. Estonian Employment offices have for the most part implemented the measures of passive labour policy registering job seekers and the unemployed; pay benefits to them. Some active labour policy measures have also been implemented to guarantee social protection of unemployed.

Social protection of the unemployed in the Estonia is provided by the state. It is mostly shor

Currently, trade unions represent nearly 40% of the labour force. Employees of private enterprises and most of the small enterprises lack their own trade union organizations. Recent owners, farmers, pensioners and in many instances, enterprise management (employers) have dropped out of the trade unions.

· Eamets, R. Labour Market Policy in the Framework of European Integration- Integration of the Republic of Estonia into the European Union- Goals and Instruments. Reports of the VI scientific and educational conference. Tallinn 1998, pp. 46-55

t term, usually for six months. There is no voluntary unemployment insurance, although preparations for that are underway. There are two reasons why some of the unemployed do not get unemployment benefits: he/she has already exhausted the benefits he/she was entitled to, or length of prior employment is insufficient.

· subsidised employment (subsidies to regular employment supports of unemployed persons starting enterprises, relief works)

The aim of an active labour market policy is to get people more able to find a job. This is the focus but it is important to create an economic policy that will create the job as well. Although as a labour market researcher it will be fair to point out some suggestions for the build up of an active labour market policy. Relevant training centres must be available with appropriate rooms, equipment and teachers/ instructors. A mix of public and private institutions will be good. It will be a process with many obstacles. One problem will be the demand for teachers. For this "tech the teachers" -programmes will be needed.

· Eamets, R. Labour Market Policy in Transition Economies: How Far is Estonia from EU. - Estonian Labour Market and Labour Market Policy. Ministry of Social Affairs of Estonia. Viljandi-Tartu 1999, pp.85-95.

Under the first rules (1991) on unemployment registration the benefit rate was 80% of the minimum wage rate. In October 1992 unemployment registration rules were revised and the unemployment benefit stood at 60% of minimum wage rate and it was 180 EEK. From July 1996 to February 1998 the unemployment benefit was 240 EEK. In 1998 it was enhanced to the 300EEK, and since January 2000 unemployment benefit is 400 EEK.(Eamets et al 2000 p. 113) It is evident that unemployment benefits as well as minimum wages are too low in Estonia, especially comparison with levels of industrialised countries but also other transitional countries.

Estonian active labour market policy does not include any special measures to support young people in their first entrance into the labour market as well in the case of their long-run unemployment. Any person who receives who receives unemployment benefits is obliged to participate in relief works for at least ten days or eighty hours during any calendar month and may be paid extra

Some common words found in the essay are:
Board Estonia, Law Social, Trade Unions, EEK July, Estonian Employment, Market Board, Social Protection, labour market, Unions EATU, market policy, labour market policy, Estonia Viljandi-Tartu, Reports VI, labour policy, unemployment benefits, active labour, social protection unemployed, unemployment benefit, protection unemployed, social protection, trade union, trade unions, active labour market, ministry social affairs, passive labour policy,
Approximate Word count = 1911
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)