Latvia Works is an initiative by the Tele2 telecoms firm, and more than 16 big employers, including Swedbank, The Economics Ministry, Circle K and others have joined the initiative, pledging they'll return at least 1 expat home with the promise of employment.
As the website of the initiative notes, there are currently more than 170,000 Latvians working abroad. As reported extensively by LSM and others, Latvia is facing a shortage of skilled workers, even as the unemployment rate remains in the two digits in parts of the country.
"It's commendable that Latvian entrepreneurs and employers have come out with a specific and practical initiative to foster an apt environment and conditions for inviting not guest workers but rather our compatriots to Latvia... I hope that the Latvia Works initiative will be another practical argument for people to decide to return to Latvia," said Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkēvičs.
