Offered Salaries in Estonia Grow, but Unevenly

Estonia saw a significant increase in offered salaries during the first half of 2026, with average gross salary offers rising by 12.8% compared to the previous year. The average offered gross salary range climbed to between €1900 and €2543, according to data from CVKeskus.ee, a job portal.

The surge in salary offers was largely propelled by two key sectors: high-paying IT roles and positions related to national defense and internal security. If the impact of these sectors is excluded, the overall growth in salary offers across the labor market was a more modest 7%.

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Salary offer growth accelerated significantly in the second quarter, strongly influenced by two areas: high-paying IT sector positions and job offers related to national defense and internal security. If these effects are excluded, salary offers in the labor market grew by 7%.

Henry Auväärt, marketing manager at CVKeskus.ee, noted that the growth was also influenced by a lower comparison base from the previous year, when salary offers increased at a slower pace. The minimum wage increase implemented on April 1 may have also played a role.

The IT sector experienced the most dramatic rise, with salary offers increasing by over a quarter year-on-year. The average offered gross salary range in IT for the first half of the year was €3556–€4589, with top offers reaching as high as €10,000. This significant increase was partly due to a shift in the types of positions offered, with more demand for high-earning managers and top specialists.

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The growth was also boosted by a lower comparison base, as salary offers moved at a much more modest pace a year earlier, increasing by only a few percent. The minimum wage increase effective from April 1 could also have influenced the offered salary levels.

Job offers in national defense and internal security also contributed to the salary growth. For instance, medical positions offered up to €5520, senior dentists up to €4900, department heads up to €4600, and police work group leaders up to €3800.

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The rapid growth of salary offers in the IT sector was strongly influenced by a change in the structure of offered positions. This year, there was a greater demand for high-paying managers and top specialists, which raised the average salary offer for the entire sector. In addition, the comparison was affected by a lower base, as IT sector salary offers were stagnant in the first quarter last year.

Other sectors also saw above-average salary offers, including marketing (€2148–€2919), construction and real estate (€2050–€2881), training and HR (€2333–€2697), and mechanics and engineering (€2001–€2695).

Regionally, average offered salaries in Tallinn reached up to €2870, in Tartu County up to €2358, and in Pärnu County up to €2145 in the first half of 2026. Auväärt cautioned that the rapid average growth does not signal a widespread salary rally across the entire job market. He emphasized that the most intense competition is for high-value and socially critical positions, where salary offers are significantly above average.

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The rapid average growth of salary offers does not mean that a new salary rally has begun in the entire labor market. The sharpest competition is for the filling of high value-added and socially critical positions, where salary offers are significantly higher than average.