TALLINN - The government approved on April 18 amendments to the Aliens Law
and sent it to the Riigikogu; when the amendments come to force, it will be
possible to hire a foreign specialist to work in Estonia after just a couple of
days instead of the current regulations that make the wait last several months,
reports Postimees. According to the agreement, a foreigner could stay in Estonia
to permanently work in the country, and apply for a residence permit to do so
while already being in Estonia.
To the proposal by the Foreign Ministry, an amendment to the Business Code was added, to enable foreign companies to open in Estonia branch offices that considerably facilitate the development of the Estonian economy. Currently it isn’t possible to register in the Business Registry a branch office that has one employee (manager) who doesn’t have a residence permit in Estonia.
Also, when a foreigner gets a short-term Estonian work visa, a visa with the same conditions is granted to his/her spouse and minor child and adult child if the latter isn’t capable coping independently due to health conditions or disability.
The easing concerns top level specialists who, according to the bill, are
foreigners who have a professional preparation in any sphere. The bill also aims
to change the part concerning foreign students to simplify starting doctoral,
master’s degree or bachelor’s degrees studies in Estonia.
The draft law is
supposed to come in force Sept. 1 next year if approved by
parliament.
Workers need to demand more
Estonian
public relations expert Janek Maggi wrote in an opinion column in Aripaev that
Estonians still in the country need to ask for better pay for their work,
because this is the only way to increase people’s wealth, reports BBN.
The
simple truth is that if you are paid very good wages, even unpleasant jobs
become tolerable, says Maggi.
Average wages in Estonia are too low, and that
keeps purchasing power down and causes social tension. Salaries are so low
because the work is too cheap. Wages and prices are directly linked.
“I hope that the next general elections will be won by the party who can
create jobs so that the wealth of Estonians continues to grow,” said the
expert.
Estonia’s average per capita wealth is 21,000 euros, while the
average for Finns is 113,000 euros. In Luxembourg, the average is 215,000 euros,
or ten times the Estonian level.
The specialist recommended residents of
Estonia to ask for maximum wages, and trigger export growth, to start saving and
accumulate wealth.
A poll carried out by KPMG showed that 76 percent of entrepreneurs in Estonia
are planning to raise their employees’ wages this year.
In the year-on-year
comparison, this indicator has risen significantly, as in 2012 the same poll
indicated that 57 percent of entrepreneurs had similar plans. In 2011, this
number was 43 percent.
At the same time, most enterprises are planning a rather modest pay rise: that of up to 4.9 percent.
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