Tallinn

During the Soviet regime, much of the workforce was recruited from Russia, Belorussia and the Ukraine, leading to high levels of ethnic urban segregation. Today, socioeconomic segregation are also became increasingly prevalent and whilst social inequalities tend to be less pronounced in Tallinn, compared to other Estonian cities, social and ethnic sorting in the housing market still takes place. Places of residence disadvantage are linked to social networks and communities, further adding to accumulated disadvantage.

Key Facts

Population: 453,000
Country: Estonia

Overview

As the capital of Estonia, Tallinn is also the country’s financial and business centre, having a strong labour market. Following 1990, the city experienced a massive decline in population, but in the past two decades the population has stabilised and begin to grow again. During the Soviet regime, much of the workforce was recruited from Russia, Belorussia and the Ukraine. Housing estates were built in order to house the influx of workers and since migrants were given priority access to this new rental housing, high levels of ethnic urban segregation followed.

Today, there are almost as many Russian as Estonian speakers, and after Estonia regained its independence in 1991, socioeconomic segregation also became increasingly prevalent. Russian speakers earn less, on average, than their Estonian peers. Whilst social inequalities tend to be less pronounced in Tallinn, compared to other Estonian cities, social and ethnic sorting in the housing market still takes place. Places of residence disadvantage are linked to social networks and communities, further adding to accumulated disadvantage. Educational outcomes are not yet linked to a school’s location within the city, but neighbourhood level disadvantage is evident in other factors.

Challenges

Housing and rental prices have made it increasingly difficult for many young people in Tallinn to access housing. Many rely on parental support, and so, where this is absent, disadvantage is quickly also transmitted into other life domains (the school choice, social networks, job opportunities, etc). Some neighbourhoods are linked with group-specific vulnerabilities, which may pose the threat of accumulating over generations. For example, some estates are characterised by high ethnic segregation – concentrating Russian speaking groups. Due to the lack of Estonian language skills among these groups and a divided schooling system favouring the Russian language, young people from these groups have less opportunities for upward social mobility .Young people with certain vulnerabilities are facing difficulties in particular in the transition from education to employment. Although the share of NEET-youths has decreased in recent years, it is still a crucial problem that needs attention and low education is a key risk factor for belonging to the at-risk group.

Opportunities

The educational system in Estonia and in Tallinn provides high standards of education and equal opportunities for all children. Whilst not very typically prevalent, the differences between the Russian-language schools and Estonian-language based schools do exist, and they are growing. In late 2018, there were about 25,500 NEETs in Estonia and approximately 8000 inactive young people in need for interventions in Tallinn. The “Hoog sisse” program was launched in 2019, in an effort to engage young people (aged 15 to 26 years) and support their return into education or employment.