Labour status

Information on the labour status of the population (employment and unemployment) is collected through a continuous Labour Force Survey. It is a sample survey that provides annual, quarterly and monthly insight into the activity of population on the labour market.

Based on the main activity status, people are divided into active and inactive population.

Active population consists of persons who in the reference period furnished the supply of labour for the production of economic goods and services. Those are employed persons and unemployed persons actively seeking a job (both those who are registered with the State Employment Agency and those who are not).

In line with the survey methodology, information on labour status (including employment) in the Latvian Labour Force Survey is collected from individuals aged 15–89 (up to 2002, from those aged 15 and over; from 2002 to 2020, from those aged 15–74). To ensure international comparability, some employment variables are also calculated for the 15–64 age group. Since the age range 15–64 is an internationally recognised working age and is also used by Eurostat (Statistical Office of the European Union) and the International Labour Organisation (ILO), Latvian key economic indicators are published for two age groups: 15–64 and 15–74 years.

Inactive population consists of persons who can neither be classified as employed nor as unemployed persons. This category includes pupils, students, non-working pensioners, etc.