In 3rd quarter, 63.5 % of the population in Latvia were employed

Results of the Labour Force Survey of the Central Statistical Bureau (CSB) show that in Latvia, in the 3rd  quarter of 2021, 876.9 thousand or 63.5 % of the population aged 15 - 74 were employed.

In the 3rd quarter, the number of employed persons in the age group 75 - 89¹ was 6.1 thousand. In the following text, the information will be presented for persons in the age group 15 - 74 years.

Over the year, the employment rate decreased by 0.8 percentage points, while the number of employed persons - by 15.9 thousand. Compared to the previous quarter, the employment rate increased by 1.2 percentage points, but the number of employed persons - by 15.3 thousand.

In the 3rd quarter, the employment rate for males was 6.7 percentage points higher than for females (67.1 % and 60.4 %, 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 States since the 3rd quarter of 2012 (59.4 % in the EU in the 2nd quarter of 2021), in the 3rd quarter it was the lowest employment rate in the Baltic states; in Estonia it was 67.4 %, while in Lithuania - 66.0 %.

See Eurostat database: LFSQ_ERGAED, data for 3rd quarter 2021 – OSP database NBL020c, Lithuania and Estonia Labour Force Survey.

The youth employment rate has increased by 0.6 percentage points

In the 3rd quarter of 2021, the employment rate for young people aged 15 – 24 was 30.3 %, which is 0.6 percentage points higher than in the corresponding period last year. 52.1 thousand young people were employed (50.7 thousand in the 3rd quarter of 2020).

0.9 hours worked more in the main job per week

In the 3rd quarter of 2021, employed in the main job worked an average of 38.6 hours per week–,the same amount of hours than in the same period a year earlier but 0.9 hours more than in the previous quarter.

Every eleventh (78.4 thousand or 8.9 %) employed worked part-time. That is by 5.4 thousand or 0.7 percentage points more than in the corresponding period of the previous year and by 6.0 thousand or 0.5 percentage points more than in the previous quarter.

In the 3rd quarter, less employees worked remotely than in the previous quarter

In the 3rd quarter of 2021, 13.1 % (99.4 thousand) of employees worked remotely². That is by 28.9 thousand or 4.2 percentage points more than in the previous year (70.5 thousand or 8.9 %) but by 59.0 thousand or 8.2 percentage points less than in the previous quarter (158.4 thousand or 21.3 %). Of those working remotely, 59.3 % were females and 40.7 % males.

A little more than a third (35.9 %) of persons working remotely were in the 15 - 34 age group - 44.6 % males and 30.0 % females, respectively. One third (32.8 %) of persons working remotely were in the 35 - 44 age group, 18.8 % - in the 45 - 54 age group, but the least (12.5 %) - in the 55 - 74 age group.

The highest share (18.2 %) of all employees in the corresponding age group was observed in the 35 - 44 age group, but the lowest (6.4 %) - in the 55–74 age group.

58.3 % of employees in the information and communication services sector worked remotely; slightly less (56.9 %) employees in financial and insurance activities sector, 26.7 % were scientific, administrative and real estate services’ (L – N) employees and 24.7 % of employees employed at the public administration and defence; compulsory social security sector also worked remotely. 6.4% of employees in the education sector worked remotely, but the lowest share (6.1%) of employees working remotely was observed in the sector of health, social care and other economic activities (Q – U).

32.8 % of professionals, 29.2 % of managers, 24.4 % of technicians and associate professionals and 11.1 % of clerical support workers (office workers) worked remotely.

In the 3rd quarter of 2021, 4.5 thousand households participated in the Labour Force Survey on economic activity, in which 7.8 thousand people aged 15 - 89 were surveyed, including 4.1 thousand households in the age group 15 - 74 years, in which 7.1 thousand persons were surveyed.

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

² 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