The unemployment rate in Ida-Viru County, eastern Estonia, has faced a drastic increase since September. An additional 900 people have been reported unemployed, taking the region’s unemployment rate to 13.4 percent, compared to Estonia’s average unemployment rate of just over 8 percent. In the first week of January itself, nearly 200 people applied to the Unemployment Insurance Fund (Töötukassa). The county now has around 7,500 residents out of work. The reasons behind this escalation are complex according to the fund. Anneki Teelahk, the head of the fund’s Ida-Viru County department shared on Tuesday’s Aktuaalne kaamera , This crisis is unique as we can’t predict anything. There have not been any major redundancies. No specific sector is laying off more people, just a few more people approach us daily . She further added that the rising minimum wage and recession has put more wage pressure on employers which might prompt them to lay off more people.