By Plenary Sessions: Jaak Valge

Insufficient Data

Economic perspectives favor high value-added and knowledge-intensive jobs, contrasting sharply with investments focused on cheap labor. Cheap labor is viewed as a hindrance to productivity and economic innovation, and a factor that depresses the wage levels of the Estonian population. Emphasis is also placed on the need to promote the employment of older individuals.

The speaker opposes mass immigration because it introduces cheap labor, thereby lowering the wages of Estonian people. He/She criticizes the government’s desire to raise the quota for unskilled labor, especially when specialists holding doctoral degrees cannot find employment in Estonia because the economy is geared toward simpler jobs. He/She emphasizes the necessity of better aligning research and university education with the needs of the Estonian economy.