On 8 October 2026, Tallinn hosted Estonia’s third Reflection Seminar as part of the Horizon Europe SYNCLUSIVE project. The session brought together key labour market stakeholders to explore how the Living Lab approach, already being tested in other European countries, could be adapted to the Estonian context.
Mervi Ruokolainen (Finnish Institute of Occupational Health) introduced the Finnish Kokkola Living Labs case, and Epp Kallaste (The Estonian Centre for Applied Research) gave the broader SYNCLUSIVE presentation.
Discussions highlighted some points that may be relevant for the cross-country reflection:
- Jobseeker activation was seen as the most immediately applicable focus in Estonia, especially for people who are far from the labour market. At the same time, within-company mobility was also considered relevant, although it may need to be understood more broadly in the Estonian context, where many employers are very small.
- Participants identified several existing Estonian initiatives that already resemble parts of the ENGINE logic, combining local coordination, employment services, employers, and other support services. This suggests that the best approach to vulnerbale people employebaility approach may be about strengthening and connecting existing structures rather than creating a new model.
- A recurring point was that a coalition should emerge around a concrete problem and should be a means for implementing solutions rather than an objective. Clear leadership, responsibilities, and some degree of institutionalisation were considered important for sustainability.
- Employer engagement needs to be based on employers’ own needs and circumstances rather than on an externally imposed model.
- Estonia’s small size can facilitate cooperation, but it can also create challenges related to confidentiality, stigma, and limited employment opportunities in some local areas. This also raised the question of whether a strictly regional approach is always appropriate in Estonia.
- Regarding evaluation, participants stressed that employment remains the ultimate outcome, but for groups far from the labour market it is also important to measure intermediate outcomes such as self-efficacy, readiness to look for work, and job-search skills. The functioning of the coalition was seen more as a precondition for successful implementation than as the outcome.
The participants of the Estonian SYNCLUSIVE Reflection Seminar recognized that coalition-based solutions might help address gaps in the current system. Discussions emphasized the importance of tailoring solutions to local contexts, but also raised questions about leadership, resources, and long-term sustainability.