The focus of this study is on the new measure introduced by the Unemployment Insurance Fund on the 1st of September 2020, allowing registered unemployed individuals to engage in temporary work (gig work) while maintaining their status as unemployed. This means that unemployed people will be able to work up to 8 days per month while still being registered as unemployed with the Unemployment Insurance Fund and actively looking for work. In these cases, people can maintain their unemployment benefit or unemployment allowance payments in case this was appointed for them during unemployment.

The main objective of the study is to analyse the impact of gig work on labour market behaviour and economic wellbeing, for example how the extra money earned from gig work affects the motivation to return the labour market, job search intensity or duration of unemployment. The aim is also to determine to what extent the effects are a result of the design and implementation of the measure, and to what extent to the behavioural factors of the unemployed and employers and the choices made in the job seeking process. In this way, the study provides a new insight into the impact of gig work in Estonia that has not been analysed in such depth before. The present study combines qualitative and quantitative research methods. The study will include both desk research and interviews with workers, employers and experts.

The analysis will make it possible to assess the impact of gig work on employment and economic wellbeing of the unemployed and to offer policy recommendations for further improvement of temporary work measure in Estonia. The study is commissioned by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications and will be finalized by the end of 2024.