During the COVID-19 crisis, airBaltic reported collective dismissal of 700 employees, promising to return employees to their jobs within a year. Up to now, 17 employees have resumed their jobs, but many are still waiting for the possibility of returning to the airline, airBaltic told Latvian Radio August 6.
Employment
The Ministry of Welfare said July 28 that, having reviewed the support funds co-financed by the European Social Fund to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 crisis and is now planning to implement temporary public works.
The rise in the unemployment rate, which was particularly rapid in the first months of the COVID-19 crisis, has nearly stalled. State Employment Agency (NVA) said July 17 it was likely that the trend could deteriorate again in autumn, with the end of seasonal jobs.
Data of the Labor Force Survey conducted by the Central Statistical Bureau (CSB) show that in June 2020 actual unemployment rate comprised 9.8 %, which is 0.2 percentage points more than in May, CSB reported July 17.
Data of the Central Statistical Bureau (CSB) show that in 2018 the highest wages and salaries were received by ship and aircraft controllers and technicians, whose gross monthly wage on average comprised EUR 3 279, according to data published by CSB July 17.
The unemployment rate registered in Latvia at the end of June reached 8.6% of the economically active population, which is 0.2 percentage points more than a month earlier, according to July 9 information from the State Employment Agency (NVA).
The COVID-19 pandemic has created severe tension, not only in health care, but also in economy, in volumes estimated to be the largest in the world since World War II. Unlike the financial turmoil of ten years ago, this time European governments have launched an unprecedented number of support campaigns aimed at protecting citizens from losing their jobs and income due to the pandemic, reported Latvian Radio on June 30.
The Latvian Employers' Confederation (LDDK) is calling for the introduction of short-term working hours, temporarily addressing the employment problem in times of crisis and overcoming the consequences of the crisis, Latvian Radio reported on June 29.
Results of the Labor Force Survey conducted by the Central Statistical Bureau (CSB) show that in May 2020 actual unemployment rate in Latvia constituted 9.6 %, which is 0.4 percentage points more than in April.
On Tuesday, June 16, the Cabinet supported the Welfare Ministry's (LM) proposal to provide financial support to employers for recruitment of new employees coming from the unemployed population, LM informed on June 16.
Data of the Central Statistical Bureau (CSB) show that at the end of first quarter of 2020 there were 18.5 thousand job vacancies in Latvia, which is 10.2 thousand vacancies or 35.5 % less than in the first quarter of 2019.
Unemployment registered in Latvia was 8.4% at the end of May, according to data from the State Employment Agency (NVA).
As harvest season approaches, farmers concerned about lack of workforce asked authorities to allow guest worker employment. Ministers, however, are wary of this request, reported Latvian Television on May 27.
The increase in the number of unemployed people has slowed down significantly over the past weeks, said Evita Simsone, director of the State Employment Agency (NVA) in an interview to Latvian Radio on May 22.
Latvian non-governmental farmer organizations invite responsible authorities to participate more actively in tackling border crossing issues so guest workers from third countries could be employed in agriculture, "Zemnieku saeima" said in a media statement on May 21.
Even with increased unemployment in the first half of 2020, seasonal rural jobs still lack the necessary workforce with certain skills at certain times, reports Latvian Radio.
Due to the emergency situation in Latvia, which has brought a drastic decline in travel and economic activity, Rīga Airport has started consultations with trade unions representing airport employees on the implementation of the collective redundancy process, airport management announced April 7. The redundancies could affect around 500 workers.
Many Latvian farms lacked the necessary amount of workers even before the Covid-19 novel coronavirus pandemic, and are turning to those newly unemployed due to the crisis to find new work hands, according to Latvian Agricultural Organization Cooperation Council (LOSP) Director General Guntis Vilnītis on March 29.
Many companies are closed during the Covid-19 outbreak, with employees staying home. But others are seeing increased demand for services and products. These latter now tend to absorb part of the workforce that is seeing downtime, reported Latvian Radio march 25.
Latvia's Welfare Minister Ramona Petraviča (KPV LV) said March 24 that cuts to the duration of unemployment benefits could be reversed.
The number of companies who've notified the State Employment Agency about mass lay-offs due to the Covid-19 virus outbreak is up to 10, with a total of 1,660 people to be fired.
The State Employment Agency (NVA) has received eight notifications of mass lay-offs, affecting 699 to 724 employees.
In the future at least 1% of Cēsis residents could be working at various IT and data analytics companies, as 135 people have already applied to an initiative that includes three months of training to become a data analyst.
Along with Latvian, Russian and English, companies are increasingly asking that potential employees know a Scandinavian language, but experts say that although the situation is improving, employer needs frequently exceed the abilities of potential employees, according to a Latvian Radio broadcast on February 12.
Latvia has the second lowest minimum wage in Europe after Bulgaria, according to data published by Eurostat on February 3.
The non-profit state joint-stock postal services company Latvijas Pasts plans on minimizing the number of employees and closing post office branches in the regional areas of Latvia, Latvijas Pasts Board Chair Mārcis Vilcāns said in an interview on Latvian Radio’s “Krustpuntā” broadcast on January 22.
According to the State Employment Agency (NVA), 6.2% (57,808 persons) of economically active Latvian citizens were registered as unemployed at the end of 2019, which is 0.4% (53,783 persons) higher than the previous month, the LETA news agency reported January 10.
The catering industry is suffering from an acute worker shortage on all levels – from servers to dish washers, according to a Latvian Radio broadcast on January 2.
The Latvian government on December 10 supported the removal of several bureaucratic obstacles to hiring employees from third countries, reported the LETA newswire.
Data released by the Central Statistical Bureau (CSB) on November 2 show that in the third quarter of 2019, compared to the third quarter of 2018, average monthly gross wages and salaries grew by 8.3 % or EUR 84, reaching EUR 1 091 for full-time work.