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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.