In 2021, 62.5 % of the population were employed

Results of the Labour Force Survey of the Central Statistical Bureau (CSB) show that in 2021, 864.0 thousand or 62.5 % of the population aged 15 to 74 were employed in Latvia.

Compared to 2020, last year the employment rate decreased by 1.7 percentage points, but the number of employed persons - by 29.0 thousand.

The largest employment declines were in agriculture, forestry and fishing; manufacturing; professional, scientific and technical activities and construction.

In the 4th quarter of 2021, 864.2 thousand people aged 15 to 74 were employed in Latvia, which is 12.7 thousand less than in the 3rd quarter. The employment rate was 62.7%, 0.8 percentage points lower than in the 3rd quarter.

In 2021, the number of employed persons in the age group from 75 to 89 years¹ was 5.5 thousand (5.8 thousand in the 4th quarter). In the following, the information will be presented for persons in the age group from 15 to 74 years.

In the 4th quarter, the employment rate for males was 6.8 percentage points higher than for females (66.3 % and 59.5 %, respectively).

Employed population

(thousands)

Refer to OSP database: NBL020 and 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 (60.4 % in the EU in the 3rd quarter of 2021), in the 4th quarter it was the lowest employment rate in the Baltic States - in Estonia it was 67.6 %, while in Lithuania - 65.6 %.

See Eurostat database: LFSQ_ERGAED, data for 4th quarter 2021 – OSP database NBL020c, Lithuania and Estonia Labour Force Survey.

The youth employment rate has decreased by 1.7 percentage points

In 2021, the employment rate for young people aged 15– 24 was 27.9 %, which is 1.7 percentage points lower than in 2020. 48.0 thousand young people were employed (50.6 thousand in 2020). In the 4th quarter, the number of employed young people, compared to the 3rd quarter, decreased by 3.3 thousand or 6.3 % and was 48.8 thousand (52.1 thousand in 3rd quarter of 2021). The employment rate decreased by 2.1 percentage points and was 28.2 % in the 4th quarter.

Fewer employed persons worked part-time

Last year, employed in the main job worked an average of 38.0 hours per week, which is 0.4 hours more than in 2020. In the 4th quarter of 2021, employed in the main job worked an average of 38.0 hours per week, which is 0.6 hours less than in the 3rd quarter and 0.7 hours more than in the 4th quarter of 2020.

In 2021, 74.8 thousand or 8.7 % employed worked part-time. This is 11.4 thousand or 1.0 percentage points less than in 2020. Most employed females worked part-time (64.8 %), less so  employed males - 35.2 %. 22.9 thousand part-time employed wanted to work more - 10.1 thousand or 38.4 % of employed males working part-time and 12.7 thousand or 26.3 % of employed females working part-time.

In the 4th quarter of 2021, every thirteenth (66.3 thousand or 7.7 %) employed worked part-time. It is by 20.6 thousand or 2.1 percentage points less than in the corresponding period of the previous year and by 12.1 thousand or 1.2 percentage points less than in the previous quarter.

In the 4th quarter, more employees worked remotely, compared to the previous quarter

In the 4th quarter of 2021, 18.8 % (143.7 thousand) of employees worked remotely². It is by 4.7 thousand or 0.8 percentage points more than in the previous year (139.0 thousand or 18.0 %) and by 44.3 thousand or 5.7 percentage points more than in the previous quarter (99.4 thousand or 13.1 %). Of those working remotely, 61.0 % were females and 39.0 % males.

One third (33.6 %) of persons working remotely were in the 15 - 34 age group: 42.5 % males and 27.9 % females, respectively. Slightly fewer (30.8 %) were in the 35-44 age group, 19.9 % in the 45-54 age group and the fewest (15.7%) in the 55-74 age group.

Share of remotely working employees in the total number of employees by quarter

(as per cent)

Refer to OSP database: NBL270c

The highest share (24.2%) of all employees in the corresponding age group was observed in the 35– 44 age group, but the lowest (11.6 %) - in the 55– 74 age group.

81.6 % of those working in the field of financial and insurance activities, 62.7 % of employees in information and communication services, 36.6 % in public administration and defense; compulsory social security employees and 28.5 % scientific, administrative and real estate services (L – N) employees worked remotely. In the education sector, 21.3 % of employees worked remotely, while the production sector (B-F) had the lowest share of employees working remotely (8.9 %).

45.8 % of managers, 41.0 % of professionals, 36.5 % technicians and associate professionals and 18.2 % of clerical support workers worked remotely.

In 2021, 18.3 thousand households participated in the Labour Force Survey on economic activity, in which 32.4 thousand persons aged 15 to 89 were surveyed, including 16.8 thousand households in the age group from 15 to 74 years, in which 29.1 thousand persons were surveyed. In the 4th quarter, 4.6 thousand households participated in the Labour Force Survey on economic activity, in which 8.0 thousand persons aged 15 to 89 were surveyed, including 4.1 thousand households in the age group from 15 to 74 years, in which 7.1 thousand persons were surveyed.

¹ In accordance with the 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