BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - Estonia's unemployment rate in the fourth quarter was the weakest in more than a decade amid an increase in labor force participation and employment, preliminary data from Statistics Estonia showed on Thursday.
The jobless rate fell to 4.4 percent in the fourth quarter from 5.2 percent in the previous three months and 5.3 percent a year ago.
The last time the unemployment rate was even lower was over 10 years ago, in the 2nd quarter of 2008, when it was 4 percent, the statistical office said.
In 2018, the unemployment rate eased to 5.4 percent from 5.8 percent in the previous year.
The annual average number of unemployed persons decreased by 2,600 from the previous year to 37,700 in 2018.
The number of long-term unemployed was the lowest of the last 20 years, the agency said.
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