EMPLOYMENT, CULTURAL DIFFERENCES AND WORK SAFETY: ESTONIA EXAMPLE

Abstract

The paper presents the characteristics of migrant workers unemployment and their working conditions in Estonia. The main information in the article concerns non-Estonians, half of whom has been born in Estonia and many of them have also Estonian citizenship, working conditions of both first and second generation migrants. A lot of migrants arrive to Estonia during the Soviet Union in order to find a job. At that time, workers came to Estonia after the graduation from the Universities during their prime working ages. In addition, the development of occupational health and safety (OH&S) system in Estonia is described in order to better understand the current situation in this field. The issue of job insecurity and cultural differences with a special focus on the situation in the field of OH&S in Estonia are briefly described. The paper presents recommendations needed for improvement the situation in OH&S for multinational workforce in Estonia as well as suggests that human resources are the important part for facilitating a successful cultural and work adjustment.