In Q2 2023 there were 60.6 thousand unemployed persons aged 15–74 (incl.), which is 2.2 thousand fewer than a year ago and 800 more than in the previous quarter.
In Q1 2023 Latvian unemployment rate (6.4 %) was 0.1 percentage points above the EU average (6.3 %). While in Q2 2023 it was lower than in Estonia (6.7 %) and higher than in Lithuania (6.0 %).
Long-term unemployment problem persists
In Q2 2023, 31.9 thousand unemployed persons did not have a job for up to five months, which is 2.7 thousand more than a year ago and 2.0 thousand fewer than in the previous quarter. Persons unemployed for 6–11 months accounted for 10.6 thousand (the number has reduced by 2.7 thousand over the year and grown by 1.8 thousand over the quarter).
In Q2 2023 there were 17.9 thousand long-term unemployed persons, which is a drop of 2.4 thousand over the year and a rise of 0.8 thousand over the quarter The share of long-term unemployed in the total number of unemployed persons was 29.7 %, which is 2.7 percentage points fewer than a year ago and 1.2 percentage points more than in the previous quarter.
Situation improving among the young
In Q2 2023 young people (aged 15–24) accounted for 9.6 % of all unemployed persons. The share has gone down by 5.8 percentage points over the year and by 4.8 percentage points over the quarter.
Youth unemployment rate was 9.6 %, which is 5.2 percentage points lower than a year ago and 3.8 percentage points lower than in the previous quarter. The total number of young unemployed persons reduced by 3.9 thousand over the year and by 2.8 thousand over the quarter.
In Q2 2023 almost a third (31.2 % or 430.9 thousand people) of the population aged 15–74 was inactive, i.e., was neither in employment, nor actively looking for a job. Over the quarter inactive population has reduced by 10.6 thousand people or 2.4 % while over the year by 4.7 thousand people or 1.1 %.
Out of the whole inactive population, 3.7 thousand people or 0.9 % were discouraged from finding a job (1.3 % in Q2 2022 and 0.7 % in Q1 2023).
In Q2 2023 LFS covered 5.1 thousand households in which 8.6 thousand people aged 15–89 were interviewed, including 4.4 thousand households with 7.4 thousand people aged 15–74.
