On 22-23 April, a delegation of Estonian entrepreneurs visited Brussels at the invitation of the European Commission Representation in Estonia to discuss key issues for the future of Europe.
Making labour law more flexible is the best news in industrial relations in the last 10 years, explains Ain Käpp, a member of the Employers' Confederation council and head of the labour market working group. It will give part-time workers more security and help attract new people to the labour market.
Although recruiting from abroad is more complicated, time-consuming and expensive than recruiting from Estonia, employers have to do it for different reasons. Risto Mäeots, Head of Magnetic MRO, Erkki Keldo, Estonian Minister of Economic Affairs and Industry, and Ain Käpp, Head of the Labour Market Working Group of the Confederation of Estonian Employers, take part in the programme.
The Estonian Employers' Confederation's business meeting on 24 April focused on one of the most important issues facing both business and government today: how to increase social confidence in an era where geopolitical tensions, information warfare and international economic instability are affecting people's moods and business decisions.
Successful companies are all similar in one way - they make informed choices, invest systematically in developing innovation capacity and constantly create new value, explains Kati Rostfeldt, Innovation Advisor at the Confederation of Finnish Employers.
"My passion is hospitality, a field in which I have been active for 30 years. Working in hotels every day has given me a deep understanding of the importance of the workforce - both finding talent and retaining and developing it," says Ain Käpp, head of the Employers' Confederation's labour market working group and council member.
The European Union this week adopted a 'stop-the-clock' directive that delays the entry into force of sustainability reporting obligations for thousands of companies across Europe. BusinessEurope, including the Employers' Confederation, has been a strong and consistent voice on this issue.
If foreign workers are necessary for business and society, we need to organise labour migration in such a way that people with the necessary skills and the right cultural background are accepted, explains Ain Käpp, a member of the council of the Estonian Employers' Confederation and head of the labour market working group.
The jury selected three leaders to be chosen as the best of the year. This year's finalists are Sirli Männiksaar, Head of Ericsson Estonia, Aaro Lode, Head of Baltic Restaurants Estonia and Neeme Tammis, Chairman of the Board of Hansa Group.
The Confederation of Estonian Employers, which represents the largest employers, today proposed to the government not to go ahead with the planned amendment to the Waste Act. The effects of the reform have not been analysed and instead of bringing the necessary changes in the field, it will lead to a number of problems.
Although the state is investing heavily in increasing defence capabilities, the confidence of Estonian people and businesses is significantly lower than in the neighbouring region. That is why we are organising a business meeting on 24 April for members of the Confederation of Estonian Employers on the topic “How to increase confidence?” to discuss why this is the case and how to change it.
BusinessEurope, Europe's employers' umbrella organisation, warns that the US decision to impose additional import tariffs on EU products threatens the world's largest economy.
With the new government, things are moving in the right direction, says Jaen Uussalu, entrepreneur and member of the board of the Estonian Furniture Industry Association. “Things can only get better from here, and bold and necessary decisions have been made.”
The Confederation of Employers proposed to the Minister of Education not to oblige schools to plan vocational education curricula as a four-year curriculum, but to leave the choice between 3 and 4-year curricula.
Although the last quarter of the year surprised businesses and analysts with economic growth, businesses are cautious about counting out new growth from it. Before that can happen, confidence needs to be restored among businesses and individuals.