The Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia (CSP) reports that in Q3 2022 there were 899.5 thousand employed people in the country. This is 64.6% of the population aged 15 to 74 years. The unemployment level in Latvia was 6.9% in the same quarter.
Employment data includes information about residents aged 75 to 89 years and Ukrainian citizens provided with temporary protection in Latvia and live in private households and have employment rights.
Over the course of the year the employment level increased by 1.1 percentage points. The number of employed people increased by 22.6 thousand. Compared to Q2, the employment level in the country has increased by 0.6 percentage points and the number of employed people in the country has increased by 14.3 thousand. The employment level among men was 5.9 percentage points higher than among women in Q3 (67.7% and 61.8% respectively).
Although in the past ten years the employment level in Latvia has been higher than the average in the European Union (61% in Q2 2022), in Q3 it was the lowest among Baltic States, as employment level in Estonia was 69.5% and in Lithuania it was 67.3%.
The employment level among youngsters aged 15-24 years was 32.2% in Q3, which is 1.9 percentage points higher when compared with the same period of 2021. A total of 58 thousand youngsters were employed in this period of time (52.1 thousand in Q3 2021).
The unemployment level Q3 2022 was 6.9%, which is 66.4 thousand people aged 15 to 74 years. Compared with the previous quarter, this means an increase of 3.6 thousand people or 0.3 percentage points. When compared with last year, however, this is a drop by 1.5 thousand people or 0.3 percentage points.
In Q2 unemployment in Latvia was 6.6%, which is 0.6 percentage points higher than the average in the European Union (6%). In Q3 Latvia had the highest unemployment level among Baltic States, as unemployment was 5.6% in Estonia and 5.7% in Lithuania.
32.4 thousand unemployed people have spent up to 5 months without a job in Q3 2022. This is 1.4 thousand people fewer when compared with a year ago and 3.2 thousand more when compared with Q2.
14.5 thousand of unemployed residents have spend 6-11 months without a job. Their numbers have increased by 3.2 thousand when compared with Q3 2021 and by 1.2 thousand when compared with Q2.
In Q3 there were 18.5 thousand unemployed people in the country who have spent more than a year without a job. This is 4.1 thousand fewer when compared with the year prior and 1.8 thousand fewer when compared with Q2. The proportion of lasting unemployed people was 28.3% or 4.1 percentage points lower when compared with Q2. Compared with the same period of 2021, this is a drop by 5.1 percentage points.
In Q3 2022 a total of 12.5 thousand or 18.8% of all unemployed people in Latvia were youngsters (15-24 years). Their proportion has increased by 5.4 percentage points over the course of the year. When compared with Q2, however, their proportion has increased by 3.4 percentage points. The unemployment level among youngsters was 17.7%, which is 2.8 percentage points higher when compared with a year ago and 2.9 percentage points higher when compared with Q2.
Of all youngsters in the country 39.1% were economically active in Q3 – were employed or were seeking employment. 60.9% of youngsters were economically inactive – were still engaged in academic studies and were not seeking jobs.
In Q3 2022 nearly one-third (30.6%) or 426.8 thousand residents aged 15 to 74 years were economically inactive (were not employed and were not actively seeking jobs).
Compared with the previous quarter, the number of economically active residents in Latvia has gone down by 8.0 thousand or 2% in Q3 and by 8.4 thousand or 1.9% over the course of the year.
2.7 thousand or 0.6% economically inactive residents have lost all hope of finding work (1.2% in 2021 and 1.3% in Q2 2022).
Employment in Latvia at 64.6% in Q3, unemployment at 6.9%
