Employment
Two months ago, rules were adopted that employers can pay guest workers the average wage in the sector, instead of the national average, as was previously the case. Employers welcome the government's decision but admit that the effect will only be felt in the coming months, Latvian Radio reported April 10.
With the government's decision of January this year, employers are allowed to pay foreign workers a wage that is not less than the average gross monthly wage of Latvian workers in the sector in the previous year or equivalent to the minimum wage set by the sector's general agreement.
With the government's decision of January this year, employers are allowed to pay foreign workers a wage that is not less than the average gross monthly wage of Latvian workers in the sector in the previous year or equivalent to the minimum wage set by the sector's general agreement.
More than 100 million euros devoted to adult education are now being "burned aimlessly", because education programs have minimal connection with labor market needs, Andris Bite, President of the Employers' Confederation of Latvia (LDDK), said in an interview with Latvian Television on April 3.
In 2023, average hourly labor costs were estimated at €31.8 in the EU and at €35.6 in the euro area, according to Eurostat figures published March 27. However, this average masks sizeable gaps between EU Member States. Hourly labor costs range from €9.3 in Bulgaria to €53.9 in Luxembourg – with Latvia still recording one of the bloc's lowest labor costs on €13.5.
A month ago, the Latvian Television broadcast "Forbidden Method" reported on four occupational safety incidents in the factory of "Tukuma piens/Tukums Milk". The workers suffered severe injuries to their hands, including the loss of fingers. The State Labor Inspectorate is still looking at one of the cases, Latvian Radio reported on March 28.
Central Statistical Bureau (CSB) estimate of March 21 shows that in February 2024 actual unemployment rate in Latvia was 7.2 % and it has risen by 0.1 percentage points over the month.
Data published by Eurostat February 29 reveals that in 2022 the unadjusted gender pay gap in Latvia was 17.1% (provisional figure).
Central Statistical Bureau (CSB) data published February 28 show that in 2023 the gross average monthly wage for full-time work in Latvia amounted to EUR 1 537.
In a span of a couple of months, four employees of the "Tukuma piens" dairy producer company, more commonly known under the brand "Baltais" ("White"), have got serious injuries. Latvian Television's "Forbidden Method", aired February 26, checked concerns about the employer's lax attitude to safety and employee health.
Over the past year and a half, the number of job advertisements and vacancies has dropped by almost half, and currently, staff shortages are not as big a problem as weak demand, said economist of Citadele Bank Mārtiņš Āboliņš commenting on the latest employment data February 23.
Results from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) published on February 23 by the Central Statistical Bureau (CSB) show that in Latvia 884.2 thousand people or 64.2 % of the population aged 15–74 were employed in 2023.
Latest estimates from the Central Statistical Bureau (CSB) February 20 show that in January 2024 the actual unemployment rate in Latvia stod at 7.1 % – unchanged over the month. Over the year the unemployment rate increased by 0.7 percentage points.
Unemployed persons registered with the State Employment Agency (NVA) have been observed to return to the labor market faster over the past three years, LETA reported on February 18.
A video published recently by the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (PMLP) provides a handy English-language guide to the procedure required when inviting a guest worker to Latvia.
Estonia's state-owned postal services and logistics company Omniva will eliminate 75 jobs in Estonia. The company's representation in Latvia indicated that no redundancies were planned in Latvia, LETA reports February 1.
Guest workers will in the future be paid the average wage in the sector they work in, rather than the average wage in the country, as has been the case so far, according to amendments backed by the government on Tuesday, January 30.
Almost 9,000 Ukrainian civilians in Latvia are currently employed here or have a company of their own. Although employment in this group increased last year, it is still less than half of the total number of working Ukrainians in Latvia, Latvian Radio reported on January 24.
Central Statistical Bureau (CSB) estimates released January 19 show that in December 2023 the actual unemployment rate in Latvia was 6.6 % and that it rose by 0.2 percentage points compared to November. Compared to December the year before, the actual unemployment rate has not changed.
At the end of the year, after nearly a decade, the project “Can and Do” (Proti un Dari) concluded, involving more than 5,000 young people from 38 Latvian municipalities. The project has been deemed useful and is set to continue for another six years, LSM's Madara Bērtiņa reports.
Central Statistical Bureau (CSB) estimates show that in November 2023 the actual unemployment rate in Latvia was 6.4 %, a rise of 0.1 percentage points over the month. Over the year the actual unemployment rate fell by 0.2 percentage points.
Given the lack of labor force in sectors essential to the economy such as manufacturing and construction, the government on Tuesday, December 19, decided to facilitate the requirements for attracting labor from foreign countries, the Ministry of Economics said.
Central Statistical Bureau data published December 15 show that in Q3 2023 there were 25.5 thousand job vacancies in Latvia, which is 0.6 thousand vacant jobs or 2.2 % fewer than in Q3 2022.
It is planned that Latvian employers will not be able to request mandatory knowledge of the Russian language, except for certain professions, as provided for by amendments to the Labor Law supported by the Saeima at first reading on Thursday, December 14.
In 2022, for every euro earned by a man, a woman received 83 cents, according to data published by the Central Statistical Burea (CSB) December 7.
In order to attract much-needed specialists in the field of information technology (IT), the Baltic States with the support of the European Union (EU) have launched a pilot project for cooperation with Nigeria, Kenya and Armenia, reports Latvian Radio from Brussels.
On Monday, November 27, the Latvian social enterprise “All opportunities” (Visas iespējas) opens a virtual door to its job search platform, internationally called “MatchWork”, also integrating into the Croatian, Cyprus and Bulgarian markets, the enterprise said.
Central Statistical Bureau (CSB) estimatespublished November 17 show that in October 2023 the actual unemployment rate in Latvia was 6.3 % and it has not changed over the month. Over the year the actual unemployment rate fell by 0.4 percentage points.
Results of the Labour Force Survey published on November 16 by the Central Statistical Bureau (CSB) show that in Q3 2023 Latvia had an unemployment rate of 6.5 %.
Employers increasingly talk about the inability to attract the necessary employees as a development-delaying circumstance in Latgale. When it comes to guest workers, it is also necessary to assess from which countries to attract them so that it does not affect security, Latvian Radio reported November 15.
During the conference “Promotion of Human Capital Development” in the House of Saeima on Wednesday, November 1, views were repeatedly expressed that Latvia should relax the rules around guest worker registration to boost workforce availability, Latvian Television reported.
In 2022, there were 9.8 million people employed in high-technology sectors across the EU, corresponding to 4.9% of the EU’s total employment. The gender representation in this sector sees men accounting for just over two-thirds (67.2%) of the total.
Most important
Most read
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.