In the 1st quarter of 2021, 61.6 % of the population in Latvia were employed

Results of the Labour Force Survey of the Central Statistical Bureau (CSB) show that in the 1st quarter of 2021, 853.2 thousand or 61.6 % of the population aged 15 to 74 were employed in Latvia.

The number of employed population in the 75-89 age group¹ in the 1st quarter was 5.0 thousand. In the following, the information will be presented for persons in the 15 - 74 age group.

Over the year, the employment rate decreased by 3.1 percentage points, while the number of employed - by 48.3 thousand. Compared to the previous quarter, the employment rate decreased by 2.2 percentage points, but the number of employed - by 32.3 thousand.

In the 1st quarter, the employment rate for males was 7.2 percentage points higher than for females (65.4 % and 58.2 %, respectively). 

Employed population

(thousands)

See OSP database: NBL020c

Although the employment rate in Latvia has exceeded the average level of the European Union (EU) Member States² since the 3rd quarter of 2012 (59.3 % in the EU in the 4th quarter of 2020), in the 1st quarter of 2021 it was the lowest employment rate in the Baltic States - in Estonia it was 65.7 %, while in Lithuania - 64.3 %.

The youth employment rate has decreased by 5.0 percentage points

In the 1st quarter of 2021, the employment rate for young people aged 15–24 was 25.5 %, which is 5.0 percentage points lower than in the corresponding period last year. 43.7 thousand young people were employed (52.1 thousand in the 1st quarter of 2020).

0.5 hours more worked in the main job per week

In the 1st quarter, employed worked in the main job an average of 37.8 hours per week, which is 0.5 hours more than in the same period a year earlier and in the previous quarter.

In the 1st quarter of 2021, every tenth (82.1 thousand or 9.6 %) employed worked part-time. It is by 25.9 thousand or 2.4 percentage points less than in the corresponding period of the previous year and by 4.8 thousand or 0.2 percentage points less than in the previous quarter.

In the 1st quarter, more employees worked remotely than in the 4th quarter of the previous year

In the 1st quarter of 2021, 22.6 % (167.6 thousand) of employees worked remotely³. It is by 28.6 thousand or 4.6 percentage points more than in the 4th quarter of the previous year (139.0 thousand or 18.0 %). Of those working remotely, 62.0 % were females and 38.0 % males.

One third (33.8 %) of persons working remotely were in the 15-34 age group, slightly more than a quarter (26.1 %) in the 35-44 age group, 22.3 % in the 45-54 age group, but the least (17.8 %) - in the 55-74 age group. The highest number of males and females working remotely was in the 15-34 age group (41.7 % and 29.0 %, respectively). The highest share of employees working remotely (27.0%) of all employees in the corresponding age group was observed in the 15-34 age group but the lowest (15.8 %) - in the 55–74 age group.

Almost four-fifths (78.9 %) of employees in the information and communication services sector, slightly less (73.6 %) employees in financial and insurance activities sector, 43.4 % of employees in the education sector and 37.4 % of employees in the public administration and defence; compulsory social security sector worked remotely. The lowest share (9.7 %) of employees working remotely was observed in the manufacturing sector (B – F).

56.3 % of professionals, 44.3 % of managers, 36.1 % of technicians and associate professionals and 19.1 % of clerical support workers (office workers) worked remotely.

As of 2021, a new legal framework was introduced in the Labour Force Survey (LFS) - Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/2240. The most significant changes:

• persons aged 15 to 89 (previously from 15 to 74) are surveyed on economic activity;
• the definition of an employed person has been changed: persons who work on their holding and produce only for their own consumption are no longer considered employed; as their number is small, these changes do not have a significant impact on the number of employed and the data are comparable with previous years;
• instead of net earnings, the indicator gross earnings has been introduced, its periodicity - yearly, therefore, information on the quarter will not be published in the future.

The LFS methodology is available in the Employment and Unemployment of the Official statistics portal.

¹ In accordance with Article 2 of Regulation 2019/2240.

² EU average indicators on 27 Member States.

³ Remote work - the way work is carried out when employed might do it within the enterprise but carries it out permanently or on a regular basis outside the employer's enterprise, including the use of information and communication technologies. 

Media requests:
Communication Section
E-mail: media@csp.gov.lv
Phone: +371 27880666

More information on data:
Sandra Ceriņa
Social Statistics Data Compilation and Analysis Section
E-mail: Sandra.Cerina@csp.gov.lv
Phone: +371 67366653