Analytics, Employment, Labour-market, Latvia, Markets and Companies

Whereas in public sector number of occupied posts last year accounted for 292.4 thousand – increase of 2.0 thousand or 0.7% over corresponding period of 2014.

Occupied posts by sector

Number of occupied posts in major occupational group of managers rose by 6.0% or 5.2 thousand, of professionals – by 5.1% or 7.8 thousand, of skilled agricultural, forestry and fishery workers – by 4.6% or 0.3 thousand, and in major occupational group of service and sales workers – by 4.6% or 6.5 thousand.

Annual changes in number of occupied posts by major occupational group

The most notable rise in the number of occupied posts was observed in information and communication sector – of 9.7% or 2.5 thousand, administrative and support service activities – of 9.5% or 3.1 thousand, and professional, scientific and technical activities – of 5.4% or 2.1 thousand.

In wholesale and retail trade, in which the highest number of occupied posts is recorded, no notable changes were observed – at the end of the 4th quarter of 2015 there were 145.9 thousand occupied posts (rise of 0.2%). Number of occupied posts in manufacturing has went down to 109.7 thousand (reduction of 2.3% during the year). While in education number of occupied posts has risen by 0.5% (at the end of the 4th quarter of 2015 – 99.3 thousand).

Occupied jobs by main kind of economic activity, thousand

At the end of 2015, in Latvia there were 10.1 thousand job vacancies. Out of the number 4.5 thousand were recorded in public sector and 5.6 thousand in private sector.  In the total number of jobs 1.1% were vacant, 1.5% of which in public sector and 0.9% in private sector.

More information on occupied posts and job vacancies Latvia is available in CSB website section Occupied Posts and Job Vacancies, Paid Working Hours. Data on occupied posts at the end of 2015 and end of the 4th quarter of 2015 are published in database section 'Occupied Posts and Job Vacancies, Paid Working Hours' (Short term statistical data and Annual statistical data).

Methodological explanations

In accordance with the survey methodology, job vacancy is defined as a post, for which no contract has been signed and no candidate chosen, and the employer is taking active steps to find a suitable candidate from outside the enterprise, and which will be filled immediately or within the nearest time. Job vacancy rate is calculated in per cent, by dividing the number of job vacancies by the total number of posts (occupied + vacant).

Private sector includes commercial companies with central or local government capital participation of up to 50%, commercial companies of all types without central or local government capital participation, individual merchants, and agricultural holdings and fishermen farms employing with 50 and more persons.

Public sector includes central and local government institutions and commercial companies with central or local government capital participation 50% and more, public organisations and commercial companies thereof.

Data on occupied posts and job vacancies are acquired from the quarterly statistical reports on the activities of businesses, individual merchants, state and local government budgetary institutions, foundations, associations and funds, as well as from administrative data sources. Only those agricultural holdings and fisherman farms that employ 50 and more persons are included. Data on private sector are acquired with random sampling that includes enterprises employing less than 50 persons, associations, unions, and funds, and the data obtained are extrapolated on all population with the help of weights. Data are also acquired from several administrative data sources.

Absolute changes and percentage changes are calculated from the data not converted into thousands.

In the 4th quarter of 2015, collection of data on job vacancies was improved, resulting in higher response rate and greater precision of the data reported.