A study conducted jointly by Norstat and Ühiskonnauringute Instituut concluded that more than half of Estonians believe that the influx of foreign labor has a negative impact on wages and that language requirements should also be stricter, writes ERR News.
The data obtained in the survey show that 85% of participants believe that foreign workers should be subject to the same state language and qualification requirements as local workers. The majority, 82%, believe that taxi and ride-sharing platform drivers should speak Estonian at the B-1 level, while 12% of those surveyed do not consider such a requirement necessary. The majority of those surveyed also indicated that foreign workers should learn Estonian over a certain period of time.
Estonians’ attitudes towards labor from the European Union and third countries differ. 37% of respondents support the influx of labor from the EU, while 53% are against it. Supporters of liberal policies have shown greater support for workers from the bloc. The opinion on workers from third countries is significantly different – only 19% support it, and 71% of respondents are against it, and the opinion is similar among supporters of all parties.
Foreign labor is considered a source of competition in the local labor market,
and 53% of survey participants believe that the influx of foreign workers negatively affects wages. 47% of respondents indicated that the influx of foreign labor makes it more difficult to find a job. The threat to the labor market is especially felt by voters of the Center Party, who often represent the Russian-speaking population, and they perceive immigrants as a direct threat to their income. In addition to economic issues, security is also of great importance, and 58% of respondents believe that labor from third countries is a potential threat to security.
The survey also found that 65% of respondents believe that the Estonian economy should use automation rather than foreign labor.
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